Enough evidence for Chris Fearne, Edward Scicluna and others to stand trial in Vitals case

There is enough evidence for former deputy prime minister Chris Fearne and 14 others, to stand trial in relation to the Vitals hospitals scandal.

Magistrate Leonard Caruana decided there is a case to be heard against the accused in a decree on Wednesday.

All eyes were on Chris Fearne. Months ago, the former deputy prime minister was the Labour government’s nominee for European Commissioner. But the criminal charges saw him resign from the government’s cabinet while withdrawing his nomination.

Prime Minister Robert Abela had said that he would re-nominate Fearne for the commissionership if there is no prima facie evidence. 

Among the others charged is Central Bank governor Edward Scicluna, who has resisted calls for his resignation by civil society groups. He has Abela’s backing here – the prime minister has said that he will not request Scicluna’s resignation despite the criminal charges. 

14:08 Grech’s reaction

Meanwhile, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said Malta needs clean leadership after the court’s decision on Wednesday. He singled out Scicluna and permanent secretary Ronald Mizzi, saying their government positions are no longer tenable. “They should step down immediately,” he said. Grech added that Abela should ensure that Scicluna and Mizzi, and any other officials found to stand trial, must not continue to occupy any public roles.

Nicole Meilak

14:04 Silence from Scicluna

Meanwhile, Scicluna has not made any further comments since the court delivered its decree on prima facie evidence. As he left the courthouse today, he gave no statement to the press after an over two-hour wait. Asked whether he will remain governor of the Central Bank, he remained silent. Nicole Meilak

14:02 Prime facie fall-out

The court case has long been over, but the fallout continues. Fearne has announced that he will not recontest the Labour Party deputy leadership in September to make way for a new deputy prime minister. Nicole Meilak

10:32 Outside court, Chris Fearne told journalists that he will look at the magistrate’s decision in more detail before commenting further on the matter. Matthew Farrugia

10:29 That concludes today's court sitting, as the magistrate notified those present that the next sitting will take place in August. Matthew Farrugia

10:12 Enough evidence fo all to stand trial

The court has decided that there is enough evidence for all the accused to stand trial. Nicole Meilak

10:09 The magistrate starts to read out his decree. The court is upholding the prosecution’s request that each of the accused registers their contact numbers and emails and makes sure they answer to any calls and emails. The court also imposed a €10,000 personal guarantee to make sure they abide by this. Nicole Meilak

10:02 The accused walk into the courtroom

All of the accused have just walked in and taken their seats in the dock. It’s a packed courtroom between the long list of people accused, joined by their defence lawyers and the prosecution, as well as some law students. Nicole Meilak

09:55 Decree against Wasay Bhatti

The court has just delivered a decree against Wasay Attaoul Bhatti, an Indian-born lawyer based in Switzerland, connected to the Vitals hospitals scandal. Magistrate Leonard Caruana has upheld the prosecution’s requests for a ban on commenting publicly about the court proceedings as well as a freezing order. The court has also found that there is enough prima facie evidence for Bhatti, Accutor AG and Spring Healthcare Services AG to stand trial. Nicole Meilak

09:45 Good morning! Welcome to today's live blog, where we will be covering Magistrate Leonard Caruana's decision on whether there is enough prima facie evidence for Chris Fearne, Edward Scicluna and 13 others to be placed under a bill of indictment. Nicole Meilak