Opposition leader Bernard Grech has called for an urgent debate in parliament on the hospitals inquiry in the wake of developments over the past couple of weeks.
The motion was presented on Monday afternoon on the same day that it was confirmed that the police have filed charges in court against at least 19 people mentioned in the inquiry.
MaltaToday understands that former prime minister Joseph Muscat, his then chief of staff Keith Schembri and former minister Konrad Mizzi are among those charged.
The government side rejected the request and Speaker of the House Anġlu Farrugia is now expected to rule on the motion as per ordinary procedure.
The sitting, which was characterized by commotion, is now suspended pending the Speaker’s ruling.
When presenting the motion, Grech said the Prime Minister had a copy of the magisterial inquiry and was quoting selectively from it, while attacking the judiciary.
He insisted that the people had a right to know what the inquiry contained. He said this was an urgent matter of public controversy and thus the motion should be accepted.
Prime Minister Robert Abela rebutted by accusing the Opposition of wanting to turn the hospital inquiry into a political football. He denied having a copy of the inquiry and insisted the bigger issue was who had inside information from the inquiry while it was going on.
Abela said he was in favor of the inquiry being published but parliament was not the forum for a debate on the matter.
In a quick retort, Grech accused Abela of trying to control who receives what information. “Now that the establishment has spoken, it is clear the Prime Minister wants to keep the information to himself and show it only to those he deems fit,” Grech said.
More to follow.
Tags: Opposition presents motion urgent parliamentary debate hospitals inquiry
