17 police officers convicted of criminal offences in four years

Seventy-one members of the Police Corps appeared before court accused of criminal offences over the last four years, Home Affairs minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici told parliament Monday.

Of these, 17 have so far been found guilty so far.

The minister, who this morning faces a motion by the Opposition taking him to task on his stewardship of home affairs and justice - the latter being his former portfolio now in the hands of Chris Said - was replying to questions raised by backbencher Franco Debono.

Mifsud Bonnici said that since 2008, 17 police officers have been suspended from the corps while undergoing criminal procedures.

Of these, two officers were suspended for two years and a half until their case was closed while 14 remain suspended awaiting the a court sentence.

Another one was suspended for three months before he retired from the service.

Without going into the specifics of the cases, Mifsud Bonnici said that the punishment of the 17 convicted police officers "included a fine, probation and a suspended sentence".

Seven of them were reinstated in service.

On the draft law to turn the Police Association into a union, the minister confirmed that he has received correspondence from several police associations in Europe. "All correspondence is being given the necessary attention," Mifsud Bonnici said in his reply to Debono.

In comments to MaltaToday, Debono described the minister's answer as "evasive".

"I am informed that associations have written to Mifsud Bonnici, insisting that the stand he took on the way how to unionise the police association was wrong," he said.

Mifsud Bonnici has come under pressure by Debono, who has long been calling for a reform in Mifsud Bonnici's ministry, and has refuted suggestions that his series of questions - six in one session - had anything to do with tonight's debating of the Opposition motion.

"I have long been raising similar questions and speaking on justice and home affairs... I definitely didn't wait for the Opposition to make its move," Debono said.

The Opposition is expected to modify its motion to call for the resignation of Mifsud Bonnici.

When it was filed by shadow ministers José Herrera and Michael Falzon in December, the motion did not include any mention of calling for the resignation of Carm Mifsud Bonnici.

But the game has since changed after Franco Debono broke ranks with the PN when the cabinet reshuffle in January excluded him from the justice minister's post.

Labour leader Joseph Muscat has also claimed that his side's motion is not informed by Debono's rebellion. "Our motion was presented irrespectively of Debono's concerns, back in December. We have been always consistent about it," Muscat said when asked about the Debono connection.

On his part, Mifsud Bonnici has dubbed as "rumours" a claim that he had offered his resignation to the Prime Minister.

"I became a minister because the people elected me. The Prime Minister appointed me to this position and the prime minister has trust in me," Mifsud Bonnici had told MaltaToday.

The vote on the motion will be taken next Wednesday.