Debono’s official car had been in state of disuse for five years

Former Nationalist MP Franco Debono has denied knowing that the government vehicle he was given following his appointment as Law Commissioner had been used by former Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici - the same minister forced to resign after Debono voted against him in a no-confidence motion.

The Volkswagen Passat was allocated originally to Carm Mifsud Bonnici as a "second car" that the minister for justice and home affairs could use in addition to his official government car, a Citroën C5.

The Passat, owned by the justice ministry, was garaged in 2008 at the Civil Protection Department.

Mifsud Bonnici first denied to MaltaToday that he claimed a car allowance for not using this second car, while availing himself of the ministerial Citroën. "At the end of the week I was entitled to use a second car, allocated to me by the ministry. I paid tax on the use of this second car, which represented a fringe benefit."

Mifsud Bonnici then said he could not remember whether he had instead claimed a financial allowance for not using the car, which was in an apparent state of disuse. "When my official duties were over after a day's work, I would have my ministerial car parked and I would not use it for personal matters," Mifsud Bonnici said.

MaltaToday could not confirm claims by a government source that Mifsud Bonnici was paid a car allowance for not using the second car he was entitled to.

The ministry for justice and home affairs, which Mifsud Bonnici occupied until home affairs was removed from his responsibility in 2011, incurred the cost of the upkeep of both cars. The home affairs ministry then passed into the hands of the Office of the Prime Minister, and with that the Volkswagen Passat started being utilised for the personal use of Lawrence Gonzi's wife Kate.

A government source said that it was a decision of parliamentary secretary for justice Owen Bonnici, to have the VW Passat allocated to Franco Debono. "The last thing the parliamentary secretary had in mind was that it was Mifsud Bonnici's. Instead he utilised a cost that would be serviced by government employees, and that came at zero-cost, was in good shape, and owned by the ministry. It was garaged for no reason at all."

On his part, Debono said the allocation of the car was "pure coincidence. I had no idea the car was the same one which Mifsud Bonnici used. I only got to know now."

In its report published yesterday, the Times of Malta said that Debono was now making use of a Volkswagen Passat previously used to chauffeur Mifsud Bonnici.

"I had no say in the choice of car... had I known, I would have opted for a different one," Debono said. "The public is not interested in these 'petty' issues, anyway," Debono said.

The former MP, whose vote against the 2013 budget forced the sitting PN to call an immediate  election, said he still expected his former party to "apologise" for the "cruelty" he endured when his proposed reforms to the justice and home affairs portfolio found no favour with the government.

His opposition to former minister Mifsud Bonnici soon became a bone of contention. "I was condemned for his shortcomings when all along I was right. What is being reported by the new minister shows that my criticism was correct," he said, referring to a recent surprise visit at the Corradino prisons that revealed eight warders were away without leave on a regular basis.

Taking umbrage at the Times's report, Debono argued that he was being unfairly singled out by the newspaper. "Because of this continuous incitement, which has been going on for years, I still have police officers stationed outside my door," he said, adding that the "character assassination" has been ongoing since the 2008 elections.

Debono, now Law Commissioner and entrusted with coordinating a forthcoming constitutional convention, said the country "needs a national reconciliation and to focus on the work that must be carried out in the country's interest."