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Mifsud Bonnici back behind the court bar
Former justice and home affairs minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici returns to practicing law after being ousted a few days ago.
4 June 2012, 12:00am
Jurgen Balzan
Jurgen Balzan
2 min read
Carm Mifsud Bonnici is back to work, as a lawyer
Ousted minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici was this morning seen entering a court room presided by Magistrate Francesco Depasquale, wearing a lawyers robe, meaning that only four days after his resignation, the former justice minister is already back to his private practice.
All members of Cabinet cease to practice their profession on their appointment as minister, however MPs are free to practice their profession as the Maltese Parliament still operates on a part-time basis.
Yesterday, Mifsud Bonnici was given a hero's welcome by Nationalist supporters in St Andrew's. A visibly emotional Mifsud Bonnici Mifsud Bonnici was warmly embraced by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, Transport Minister Austin Gatt and by several other MPs.
In an attempt to paint Mifsud Bonnici as a martyr and galvanise the grass-roots, the relatively invisible PN secretary-general Paul Borg Olivier has sent out thousands of e-mails to the party's social media database urging people to show their "solidarity" by sending Mifsud Bonnici an online message of support. This initiative has already attracted hundreds of sympathy messages.
The former minister was forced to resign last Wednesday after a motion tabled by the Opposition was approved after backbencher Franco Debono voted against the minister.
Mifsud Bonnici , born in Floriana in 1960 was educated at St. Aloysius' College, De La Salle College and the University. He graduated as a lawyer in 1984. As lawyer, he specialises in the criminal, civil and commercial fields. Mifsud Bonnici is also a senior lecturer in Roman Law at the University of Malta.
In April 2003, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs and in 2008 became justice and home affairs minister. Early this year following a cabinet reshuffle, the ministry was split and Mifsud Bonnici kept the home affairs portfolio.
Mifsud Bonnici represents one of the dynasties in Maltese politics being the son of former President of the Republic and PN minister Ugo Mifsud Bonnici.
Ugo's dad, Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, known as 'il-Gross' was a PN minister and was first elected to Parliament in 1922. He was instrumental in forming the Nationalist Party, following the fusion of the Unione Politica Maltese and the Partit Democratico Nazionalista in 1926, becoming its first secretary-general.
Other prominent members of the Mifsud Bonnici dynasty are former chief justice, European Court of Human Rights judge and Malta Football Association president Giuseppe Mifsud Bonnici, and Antione Mifsud Bonnici an MP who was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly by the Nationalist administration in 1992.
Another distant relative is Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici who was Labour Prime Minister between 1984 and 1987.
Jurgen Balzan was a MaltaToday reported from 2011 to 2017.
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Ghaziz Fenea, temmen jew ma temminx hija affari tieghek. Tant kont opportunist li ghamilt snin shah f' Ministeru nservi n - nies ! Jidher li ma tantx titkellem ma backbenchers ghax kollha kelma wahda li l partit inqasam u kemm kien ikun ghaqli li kieku l kap hu John Dalli. Ibqa ahseb hekk u ibqu itilfu nies bhalna li m ahniex Laburisti u mhu ser inkunu qatt imma ha nivvutaw labour
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bellante - min se jemmen dak il qed tghid. jekk kont nazzjonalist minn ta gewwa u issa sirt laburist jiddispjacini nghidlek li int mhux nazzjonalist kont imma opportunist. gonzi wera li ghandu il partit kollu warajh b'votazzjoni sigrieta.
franco - il verita toffendi kif qal gonzi fil parlament.
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@fenea , mur tkellem ma xi kantuniera. Il-kitba tieghek hija pwerili u xejn hlief papagalizmu ta' gonzi.
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Four days only after losing one job CMB is back doing another, good luck to him unlike me who have been registering for work for the past 18 months plus with no hope of a job in sight as on the wrong side of 50. Blinking crocodile tears for the incompetents while us with a family to feed have to wait for charity or if given the chance debase ourselves and muck the experience we have gatehered during the years.
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Ghaziz Fenea,
J' Alla nazzjonalisti bhalek jibqu jahsbu hekk, halli jkomplu jsahhnu ex- nazzjonalisti bhali jivvutaw lil Labour. U jien kont wiehed min ta ' gewwa serrah rasek. Il PN ta llum hu ta' erba min nies li jaqsmu tal- mejda bejniethom. Il PN li kont nappogja jien kien ta' Malta. L- inkwiet hu min gewwa u mhux mil PL. Dan l inkwiet gabu Gonzi li halla lil Debono jahtaflu bicca kuljum. Ma kienx ikun Eddie u jhalli lil JPO, Debono, Mugliett u Arrigo b ' partit ghalihom !
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il partit laburista rega dahal fin nassa ta franco debono u ressaq mozzjoni tal misthija u vendikattiva. tebgha ohra fil pl li trida tibq tissemma bhal hafna kazi ohra ta ghajb li wettaq il partit socjalista fil passat. b'dan l-agir il pl mhux se jressaq partitarji nazzjonalisti lejh.
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A bit of research will immediatly tell you that ex PM Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici is not a distant relative but first cousin to Ugo and obviously Giuseppe. They studied and lived together is difficult times when Il Gross passed away.
