Attempts by Malta Enterprise to keep secret Vitals MoU under wraps

Malta Enterprise is attempting to keep a memorandum of understanding (MoU) it signed with Vitals Global Healthcare (VGH) under wraps in a year-long battle over a freedom of information request from the Times of Malta.
The request was filed in November 2016 after this paper learnt that the MoU had been signed months before VGH had even won the concession to run three public hospitals.
Malta Enterprise is appealing a decision by the Data Commissioner’s office to hand over to it a copy of the agreement so that it can decide on the Times of Malta’s request.
VGH, which had no prior healthcare experience, set up a number of companies in Malta in December 2014, four months before the request for proposals for the concession was published by Projects Malta.
Read: Vitals hospitals memorandum signed before tender won
A leaked presentation put together by VGH shows it was already telling investors in February 2015 that it had signed a MoU to take over running the three hospitals.
Malta Enterprise rejected this newspaper’s request for a copy of the MoU on the basis of confidentiality.

A complaint was filed with the Data Commissioner, but proceedings stalled when Malta Enterprise appealed...