Franco Debono to attend tonight’s PN executive meeting over candidature ban

Backbencher Franco Debono expects his Nationalist Party to state whether its decision to ban him from contesting the coming elections had followed the course of natural justice or not.

The PN executive is set to meet this evening at the party's headquarters in Pietà to discuss, among other items on its agenda, Debono's request to review its decision to ban him from contesting the next elections on the PN ticket, approve the second batch of party candidates for the general elections, the current political scenario and the Independence festivities.

"I don't expect anything from the outcome of the meeting. I only want them to answer two questions: is the executive committee independent from the party? And, during its decision-making process, did it follow the principles of natural justice?" Debono said.

Along with former MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando and Nationalist MP Jesmond Mugliett - both who had already decided not to contest the coming elections - it was decided that Debono doesn't contest the elections on the PN ticket.

On two separate occasions, the three backbenchers voted against government.

Debono has kept up his ante against Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi by accusing him of trying to "buy" his vote in the Carm Mifsud Bonnici motion.

While the Prime Minister denied the accusation, Debono insisted that he had a document in his possession that proves his claim.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has already gone on record confirming that negotiations had taken place with Franco Debono before the vote. “My door was always open,” he said back in June 2012. A solution “could not be found”, Gonzi said, when asked whether there had been discussions on the appointment of Franco Debono as Leader of the House instead of Carm Mifsud Bonnici.

Gonzi last week denied allegations by Franco Debono that he was offered a chauffeur-driven car, and a staff of four lawyers as part of the Law Commission falling under his stewardship as chairman of a parliamentary select committee for the redrafting of laws.

Furthermore, Debono last week presented a motion calling for the cessation of the use of heavy fuel oil to fire up the Delimara power station.

Debono has also written in his personal blog that he will consider filing another motion of no-confidence in the environment minister in "whoever was responsible for denying trappers the enjoyment of their hobby in a sustainable and regulated manner... I have been a bird enthusiast and bird breeder all my life so I have quite a good idea of the subject. I can safely say the people who have been deciding about hunting and trapping have absolutely no clue what they are talking about, starting from Richard Cachia Caruana."