Categories: World

Top Maltese politician resigns over charges in high-profile hospital scandal

close Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for May 10

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com.

Malta’s deputy prime minister resigned Friday, and ended his European Commission bid, after he was charged with fraud in a hospital scandal roiling the Mediterranean island nation.

In his resignation letter, Chris Fearne denied wrongdoing but said he must put Malta before everything else.

5 MIGRANTS DEAD AFTER BOAT CAPSIZES OFF MALTA DURING RESCUE OPERATIONS

In the letter, he asked Prime Minister Robert Abela to withdraw his candidacy to be Malta’s candidate for the European Commission.

The village of Kalkara, Malta, is photographed. (Patryk_Kosmider via Getty Imags)

“I want to be clear, I am taking this step not because I have any doubts on my innocence, but because it is the right thing to do,” Fearne wrote.

He resigned days after news emerged that he is facing charges of fraud and misappropriation of funds related to an investigation into the government’s 2015 deal to turn over management of three hospitals to a private company. The concession was annulled by the courts last year in a judgment that cited fraud.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fearne, who was a junior health minister at the time of the deal, is one of a number of past and present officials facing charges, including former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Muscat also denies wrongdoing.

Share

Recent Posts

Smart home hacking fears: What’s real and what’s hype

News of more than 120,000 Korean home cameras being hacked recently can shake your confidence…

3 hours ago

Needle-free glucose checks move closer to reality

Managing diabetes already brings stress from medications and long-term health risks. Regular glucose checks only…

9 hours ago

Fake Windows update pushes malware in new ClickFix attack

Cybercriminals keep getting better at blending into the software you use every day.  Over the…

1 day ago

How future food domes could change the way you eat

A futuristic food dome at Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai offered a surprising look at how cities…

1 day ago

Fox News AI Newsletter: Hegseth moves to revolutionize American warfighting

IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER: - Pentagon launches military AI platform powered by Google Gemini for defense…

2 days ago

Third-party breach exposes ChatGPT account details

ChatGPT went from novelty to necessity in less than two years. It is now part…

2 days ago