Now Malta's government has acted upon our reporting

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Dear OCCRP Reader,

We have some news to share. The Maltese government has launched an official probe based on our recent investigation into Steward Health Care.

We’ve published multiple stories about this Dallas-based firm and its role in Malta’s largest-ever corruption scandal. But our latest investigation has had the biggest impact — both in Malta and the United States.
In case you missed it, we revealed that Steward paid $7 million to private intelligence firms that conducted surveillance and dug up dirt on its critics. Fees for these services were billed to Steward’s Maltese division, which was largely funded by taxpayer money. But that’s not what Malta is investigating.

The government probe will look into another of our findings: One of the intelligence firms hired by Steward orchestrated a smear campaign against a prominent Maltese politician, Chris Fearne.

Leaked documents — which you can download on our website — show that Steward paid millions to a U.K. intelligence firm called CT Group, which produced a report falsely accusing Fearne of accepting a bribe. That report then circulated to journalists. (More on this allegation below).

In this email, we will provide more detail about this disinformation campaign, and how our reporting is being received in Malta and the United States. But first, we have an ask 🙇

This kind of investigative reporting is enormously expensive. If you support our work — and want it to remain publicly accessible — please consider becoming a member of the OCCRP Community.

Support the Journalism You Rely On. Support OCCRP.
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Now, here’s how the smear campaign against former Health Minister Chris Fearne played out 👇

Some Quick Background on Malta’s Biggest-Ever Corruption Scandal: In 2018, Steward took over contracts worth 2.1 billion euros to renovate and manage three of Malta’s four public hospitals. But a Maltese court annulled the deal in 2023, citing “collusion between Steward and senior government officials or its agencies.”

The deal also led to corruption charges against former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

🔎 What Leaked Documents Show

🕵️ Why Spy? Emails show that Steward executives saw Fearne as the "main opponent" to their Maltese hospital concession. They became annoyed when government payments were held up in 2018 after he questioned whether the company was providing all the medical services it was contracted to deliver.

Some of the documents obtained by OCCRP about the project targeting former Maltese Health Minister Chris Fearne, which was spearheaded by Steward and involved private intelligence companies.

🏢 The Intelligence Firm’s Introduction. In 2021, Steward directed its law firm to hire CT Group, a London-based intelligence firm.

⚙️ The Manufactured Allegation. In 2022, CT Group created a report alleging that Fearne had taken a large bribe.

The report laid out the case that Fearne had used his position to lobby for the issuance of a Maltese passport to the brother of a longstanding adviser to Vladimir Putin. It included what appears to be a bank record of a payment to an account held by the daughter of Fearne’s former chief of staff.

But the record was not authentic. Alex Cobham, chief executive of the U.K.-based NGO Tax Justice Network, reviewed the document for OCCRP and called it a “clumsy and inexpert” fake.
🇺🇸 Why This Matters in the United States

Our findings, which Fearne has naturally welcomed ([link removed]) , could also prove relevant to another criminal probe across the Atlantic…

In the United States, the Department of Justice recently announced that it has launched its own investigation into whether Steward violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prevents entities from engaging in bribery abroad.

The U.S. media outlet Industry Dive reports ([link removed]) that prosecutors may look at OCCRP reporting when examining the role of U.S. Steward executives in international business operations.

You can read our full investigation into Steward here ([link removed]) . Please do not forget to make a donation if you haven’t already. By becoming a member, you will also gain access to exclusive webinars and other membership benefits.
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If you have any questions about our reporting, or membership program, please do not hesitate to ask them in a reply to this email.

Thank you again for donating to OCCRP 🙏

Sincerely,
— The OCCRP Team
If you would like to support our work through your donor advised fund or workplace giving program, our EIN is 26-0898750. For checks, wire transfers, and other charitable giving vehicles, please contact Michael Meltzer at [email protected].

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