Justice falls back under home affairs, Franco Debono says ‘it’s ok’

The former Nationalist MP whose demands for a separate justice and home affairs ministry led to the resignation of Carm Mifsud Bonnici, has expressed no regret at seeing the two portfolios fused together under a minister and a junior minister.

Criminal defence lawyer Manuel Mallia, elected on two districts, found himself taking the home affairs and national security portfolio, with responsibility for both the police and the army, with Owen Bonnici as parliamentary secretary for justice,

"At least two separate persons are responsible for justice and home affairs," Franco Debono said. "It's an improvement over the situation under Carm Mifsud Bonnici. Justice doesn't necessarily merit a ministry unless you add other responsibilities to that portfolio. It's not that vast.

"In reality, my criticism of Mifsud Bonnici was vindicated when he was not elected, and if he scrapes through into the House it will be through the law of proportionality."

Debono had embarked on a solo campaign to have home affairs and justice ministries separated, with vocal criticism of the stewardship of the justice portfolio by Mifsud Bonnici. When Lawrence Gonzi responded with a Cabinet reshuffle on 6 January, 2012, leaving Debono without the justice ministry, the MP broke ranks and finally forced the resignation of Mifsud Bonnici by supporting an Opposition motion of no confidence in the minister.

Today's Cabinet announcement saw Labour's former spokesperson on justice, Josè Herrera, left without the justice ministry, and instead awarded what seemed like an unlikely mix for portfolio: culture and local governance. Ironically, Herrera himself was a vocal supporter of the separation of the two ministries.