Parliament to discuss Franco Debono justice motion
Parliament will tomorrow start discussing Franco Debono’s motion on justice tabled in November.
Franco Debono's private member motion, calling on the House of Representatives to implement the necessary changes to the justice system will be discussed tomorrow.
The motion was tabled in November, preceding the Opposition motion of censure on former justice and home affairs minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici which resulted in the minister recent resignation.
Debono had cited the failure to discuss this motion in Parliament as one of the reasons why he felt let down by the government in home affairs and justice sectors.
The announcement was made tonight in Parliament by Labour whip Joe Mizzi and was confirmed by Nationalist MP Joe Falzon. The debate will commence tomorrow at 7:30pm.
This could be another indication of the government's attempts to appease the maverick MP who has consistently been a thorn in its side with his relentless criticism of the justice and home affairs sector and the Prime Minister's leadership.
Debono's vote was instrumental in approving the Opposition's motion calling for the resignation of Mifsud Bonnici, leqading to the minister's resignation two weeks ago.
His 22-point motion contains a series of points which Debono has been challenging the Prime Minister for implementation and calls on the House to take the decisions which have been pending for years.
These include the payment of overtime arrears to the police, the institution of a police union, the separation of investigative and prosecution roles within the police force, the acquisition of DNA apparatus to strengthen the police forensic laboratory and the right for suspects to consult and be assisted by a lawyer prior to and during police interrogations.