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Debono hits out at Mifsud Bonnici, ‘unacceptable defence not to implement reforms’
Nationalist backbencher Franco Debono has hit out at justice and home affairs minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici over remarks he made to his criticism on the justice system and the police.
2 December 2011, 12:00am
Karl Stagno-Navarra
Karl Stagno-Navarra
2 min read
Nationalist backbencher Franco Debono
Speaking in parliament today prior to Justice and Home Affairs minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici's winding up of the debate on the financial estimates for his ministry, Nationalist MP Franco Debono said a public reply by the minister last July "ridiculed" his call for reform in the justice system, calling it "unacceptable".
Referring to his insistence on the urgent need to give suspects their right to legal assistance before and during police interrogations, Debono said that it was "unreal" to hear the minister say that there was a "tacit agreement" with the Opposition for the law not to be enacted as yet.
"What is he (the minister) saying here? We are marking 25 years since the most hideous political crimes were committed in this country, and this government seeks a tacit agreement with the Opposition not to enact a law which guarantees a fundamental human right?" Debono asked.
He added that it was even more ridiculous for the ministry to suggest that out of some 2,000 suspects arrested during the year, "only 700" asked for a lawyer.
"What on earth are you talking about? Even if just one person asked for a lawyer would be enough, because there can be no compromise with people's fundamental rights. Doesn't anybody have the common sense to understand that 700 means almost one in every four suspects have demanded a lawyer, when it is normal for police to pick up an average of four suspects during any given investigation?" Debono said.
He stressed that as a practicing criminal lawyer for the past 12 years, he had faced a series of difficulties in the justice system, and he would not stop at anything to ensure the fair trial and the protection of human rights for all.
Debono said that it was unacceptable that the prosecution had the right to ask for a review of a suspect's bail, but not the defence. He also called for a stop in the 'devolution' of judge's responsibilities, who have seen anything from mediation to traffic issues being "sub-contracted" to mediators that were not competent in delivering judgements.
Debono also reiterated his call the separation of the justice ministry from its home affairs portfolio, saying these were incompatible within the political responsibility of a minister who must seek a balance between the judiciary on one hand, and the police on the other. Debono welcomed Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi's statement yesterday announcing his intention to separate the justice ministry from home affairs.
Mark Anthony Enriquez •
antoine vella, min jaf kif iddejjaq lil ta madwarek.msieken!!jaqqqq
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Franco Debono = PN's Lorry Sant i.e. a very corrupt person who has his own hidden agenda. A lawyer who before you start talking to asks you for 500 euro and tells you that half of them are going to the police inspector!!!!
Luke Camilleri •
What's Gonzi waiting for? He should give Sleeping Beauty Karm Mifsud Bonnici 's Honoraria to Franco Debono...he is doing all the work!
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If the Minister said as reported, it does make you wonder what sort of criminal lawyers the University of Malta is inflicting on the public. Surely the right to remain silent is fundamental to any civilised society! Any first-year undergraduate in law shlould know this. What sort of a warning is given to those arrested? The onus should be on the prosecution to prove its case, not the accused to provide it with the evidence. Conservatives also talk about minorities as if they have no rights. And 700 is hardly an insignificant minority. No wonder the PN is so far back when it comes to minority rights including those of gay men and lesbians.
Adrian Pace •
The success of a real democracy can only be ensured by the principle of the separation of powers. This was a fundamental principle both in Athenian democracy and in the Roman Republic.
In 2011 it's unacceptable to have a modern state that has no division between the judiciary and the government. It's illogical to have a system whereby politicians have the authority to choose the same people that one day might have to judge them.
