Court strikes down Malta government hospital management deal

St Luke's Hospital is pictured in Pieta, Malta February 24, 2023. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi

VALLETTA (Reuters) - A Maltese court on Friday struck down a highly controversial 2015 deal under which the then government granted management of three hospitals to an international group with no experience in the medical sector.

In a detailed ruling at the end of a five-year court challenge, judge Francesco Depasquele said fraud had been committed before the signing of the deal between the government of former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and the previously unknown Vitals Global Healthcare Group.