‘A sensational story for partisan motives’: Steward auditor slams inquiry

The auditor engaged by Steward Healthcare, who is facing charges of bribery and false accounting in connection to the hosptials privatisation scandal, is maintaining his innocence while slamming the inquiry for ‘fabricating lies’.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Christopher Spiteri said that he never knew of any criminal association during the course of his audits for Steward Healthcare, and previously Vitals Global Healthcare.

“I have been accused of facilitating trading in influence for Joseph Muscat, Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri – the truth is that I have never even met these individuals in person, let alone facilitating anything,” he said.

Spiteri said he risks losing clients and employees over this ordeal. “Thirty years of hard work as an auditor and all my credibility wiped out in a few days of reporting by the media,” he said.

“My opinion is that a lot of money has been spent on a magisterial inquiry which has done none other than fabricate lies and a sensational story for partisan motives, but at a great loss for the persons accused.”

Spiteri said he had been called as a witness by Magistrate Gabriella Vella during the inquiry to give his various of events. “The magistrate asked me why I was in possession of a lot of knowledge about Vitals/Steward. The answer is because as auditor I am actually paid to ask questions and gather information which I could use to produce good accounts.”

“Instead, she and her Irish court experts interpreted this as being for ulterior motives.”

Spiteri said he will seek redress in the courts when the time comes, and will work to prove his innocence. “I have been treated in a very unjust way.”