Malta’s ex-leader, other officials face court in hospital fraud scandal that is roiling politics

By KEVIN SCHEMBRI ORLAND
Associated Press

VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — Malta’s former prime minister and other top officials are to appear in court to face charges in a hospital corruption scandal that is roiling the Mediterranean island nation as it prepares for European Parliament elections. In 2015, a deal was struck in which the management of three of the country’s hospitals was handed over to a private company. The concessionaire changed in 2018. In February 2023, a court annulled the concession, citing fraud. The Court of Appeal confirmed the decision last October, ruling that there was evidence of collusion between the parties in the concession. The ruling had an immediate impact on the governing Labour Party’s popular support, which has dropped sharply.