Police, OPM deny interference allegations in hospitals concession investigation

The police and the Office of the Prime Minister have denied allegations of Castille interfering in investigations related to the magisterial inquiry into the fraudulent hospitals deal.

“With reference to media reports regarding criminal proceedings that took place in recent weeks, the Police assisted the Attorney General's Office in the prosecution in accordance with legal procedures based on the conclusions of a magisterial inquiry,” the police said in a statement.

On Sunday, MaltaToday revealed how government and Labour Party insiders said Castille had instructed senior police figures to not interrogate individuals mentioned in the inquiry, and instead have them all be charged in court, to ensure former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is not seen as the sole figure behind the fraudulent deal. 

“This was an attempt to cushion the impact of the conclusions on Joseph Muscat himself, and it is clear the Attorney General was encouraged not to proceed with a police investigation. This was a big and serious mistake. Many good people have been thrown under the bus and they include former deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne and top civil servant Alfred Camilleri,” insiders said.  

This move seems to have backfired badly, and soon after the MEP election result, Robert Abela realised that his rapprochement with Joseph Muscat had not paid off, and he has once again distanced himself from the former Prime Minister. 

The insiders said this was an attempt at appeasing the Labour grassroots but has pushed away middle of the road voters which have been crucial in giving the party its historical election results over the past decade. 

OPM denies reports

The Office of the Prime Minister on Sunday categorically denied what it called ‘malicious’ reports.

“This was done without even verifying with the Office of the Prime Minister before publishing the report, which shows that the intention was not to provide factual and truthful reporting,” it said “The decisions about who is interrogated or not, and who is brought before the court of criminal jurisdiction or not, are exclusively in the hands of the Executive Police and the Attorney General, and the Prime Minister was completely uninvolved in these decisions and in no way interfered with the functions of the mentioned institutions.”

It said the Abela administration has been responsible for wide-ranging reforms in the sector, aimed at strengthening the rule of law, where different institutions operate autonomously and without fear or favour.

“These reforms have been recognized by European institutions, to the extent that in its latest report, the European Commission noted significant improvement and progress in strengthening the rule of law. This follows many years under previous administrations where inaction and arbitrary nolle prosequi were the norm, and the Government even ended up in the interrogation room at the Depot,” it said. “In contrast, Robert Abela's Government remains committed to further strengthening the rule of law and investing in the resources of the Police Force to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness in its independent operations without interference.”`