A Pakistani national behind suspicious payments to former prime minister Joseph Muscat is facing a million-dollar fraud lawsuit in the United States. Wasay Bhatti is at the centre of a web of Swiss companies that have both received and made notable payments to players in the Vitals Healthcare hospitals scandal, including Muscat. Last month, Bhatti was accused by a US medical company of making “false representations” and, consequently, running off with $1.47 million meant for the supply of COVID-19 antigen tests. According to a claim filed by Premier Biotech in a Minnesota court, Bhatti reneged on the deal to supply the tests and failed to return the $1.47 million down payment given to him. The lawsuit was filed against Bhatti personally as well as Swiss company Spring Healthcare, which he runs. Spring Healthcare describes itself as a partner of Steward International, the US company that took over the Maltese hospitals contract from Vitals in 2018. Muscat signed up as Bhatti’s “consultant” mere weeks after resigning as prime minister in January 2020. Times of Malta revealed last year how he went on to receive €60,000 worth of payments from two of Bhatti’s Swiss companies –...
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