Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1446843
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 JANUARY 2022 NEWS the successor in the VGH con- cession. Muscat yesterday complained once again that the police search had touched upon his teenage children's possessions; that the search had been wit- nessed from afar by Robert Aquilina, the president of the NGO Repubblika, which filed the complaint to the magis- trate for an investigation into the VGH concession; that the search order had been leaked to the press as well as Nation- alist MP Jason Azzopardi, the lawyer for Repubblika; and that the leak should itself be inves- tigated. Muscat also called out the institutions for having treated the Egrant whistleblower Maria Efimova with "kid gloves" when she was referred to perjury charges on her claims that his wife owned a secret Panama- nian offshore company. Court proceedings relating to the Eu- ropean arrest warrant for Efi- mova have been adjourned sine die by the magistrate hearing the case. "I feel that I have to speak as if I don't speak about certain is- sues, no one else will. It is also in the interest of many for me to remain silent," Muscat said. Muscat claimed the police search of his children's school bags was out of order. "Some- one wanted this whole theatre to occur." He said the presence of Aq- uilina outside his home, and Azzopardi's prior knowledge, undermines trust in the insti- tutions. "All this undermines trust in these processes and in the institutions. The fact that people knew what would hap- pen, puts doubts in the mind of thousands. I agree with the Prime Minister that the insti- tutions should not only benefit from further responsibilities but also use it wisely... The least thing they could do to do is to investigate how these peo- ple had such information. This merits an investigation and an inquiry." Muscat denied that he ex- pected to be treated different- ly but said he did not want to be treated "unjustly for being Joseph Muscat", as part of a politically vindictive effort against him. "We also have to consider the fact that others were treated with kid gloves," Muscat said, referring to Maria Efimova, the whistleblower in the Egrant case, whom he said was expect- ed to be arraigned for perjury yet she was never extradited to Malta. "This undermines trust in the institutions. I always defended them but it is not acceptable to have two weights and two measures," Muscat said. Muscat's home was searched by police, as part of a corrup- tion probe into the Vitals Glob- al Healthcare hospitals. Muscat had received a €60,000 payment made by Accutor, a Swiss com- pany who had received millions from Steward Healthcare when it took over the VGH hospitals deal. Son of slain journalist Matthew Caruana Galizia also claimed the contract was worth €540,000. Muscat defended the pay- ment he received form the Swiss company and said he re- ceived money for work that he did. "I did work for them. Don't I have a right to work? I did this work, declared my income and paid taxes for it," he said. "I will keep on talking, ex- plaining and work quietly, without protagonism... but I will not let anyone stir the agenda to break the movement. The movement we construct- ed together, will remain strong and I will make sure that it goes forward," Muscat concluded. "We also have to consider the fact that others were treated with kid gloves," Muscat said, referring to Maria Efimova, the whistleblower in the Egrant case COVID-19 Hospitalisations drop to 93, 190 new cases registered 190 new COVID-19 cases were registered on Satur- day, figures published by the Health Ministry show. A 92-year-old man passed away while COVID-19 pos- itive in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 545. Active cases stand at 3,345 after 441 recoveries were registered. There are currently 93 coronavirus patients being cared for at Mater Dei Hos- pital, of which five are in the ITU. Until Friday, 1,208,617 vaccine doses were admin- istered, of which 328,825 were booster doses. 190 new cases • 3,345 active cases • 93 in hospital, 5 in ITU • booster doses 328,825 • Total deaths 545 STANDARDS Commissioner George Hyzler could be nom- inated for the EU's Court of Auditors. Prime Minister Robert Ab- ela was reported to have in- formed the Labour parliamen- tary group on Friday about his plans for the nomination, that would see Hyzler replac- ing Leo Brincat, who nears the end of his six-year term in September. Hyzler investigates breaches of ethical standards by minis- ters, MPs and persons of trust. Recent investigations have led to the resignations of Justyne Caruana from educa- tion minister, and Rosianne Cutajar from parliamentary secretary. Labour whip Glenn Beding- field had also hit out at Hy- zler's decision to find an ethics breach on the part of minister Carmelo Abela over an advert taken out on newspapers. The outspoken MP called out Hyzler for failing to abide by the standards he demands from government, claiming he had failed to investigate com- plaints on government MPs impartially. Standards czar who took Labour scalps, mooted for kick upstairs to EU post