VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — Malta’s former prime minister, Joseph Muscat, and other top officials are to appear in court Tuesday to face charges in a hospital corruption scandal that is roiling the Mediterranean island nation as it prepares for European Parliament elections.

In 2015, a deal was struck in which the management of three of the country’s hospitals was handed over to a private company. The concessionaire changed in 2018.

In February 2023, a court annulled the concession, citing fraud, in a case filed by a former opposition leader. The Court of Appeal confirmed the decision last October, ruling that there was evidence of collusion between the parties in the concession.

The ruling had an immediate impact on the governing Labour Party’s popular support, which dropped sharply.

Meanwhile, a magisterial inquiry into the hospital agreement was completed in April. Soon after, charges including bribery were filed in court against people involved in the hospital deal, including current and past public officials.