Evarist Saliba was so nauseated by his Minister, Alex Sceberras Trigona, (the one who sent Lorry Sant to sign a secret arms deal with North Korea behind the back of parliament) that he retired on medical grounds rather than be associated with that honourable minister’s behaviour.

He was reinstated in foreign affairs within hours of Alex Sceberras Trigona and his mates being convincingly rejected as a possible minister of state by the electorate.

Your curiosity is totally irrelevant to my contribution, but to scotch any conspiracy theory, you may wish to note that on 26 October 1996 the Malta Labour Party won the election, and I resigned from my post as ambassador in Madrid.

At the age of 68, I decided to retire to England where our married daughters lived with their families. That meant that I was no longer working alongside Richard Cachia Caruana.

In September 1999, with the Nationalist Party back in government, it was decided to open an embassy in Athens and I was invited to set up this embassy (as I had done previously in Tripoli, Geneva and Madrid).

I presented my credentials in that year but opened up the embassy during the following year, at the age of 72. This re-established my working along with Richard.

To complete the record, I retired in October 2003 after having participated at the ceremony of Malta’s accession to the EU in Athens.

Gentlemen, heroes, villains all are be remembered.

Ruffians, charlatans, turncoats, traitors are never mentioned except as a footnote to explain a particularly worthy / nasty/ questionable event.

In 10 years, JPOS? Who?

[Daphne – How is that your business?]

A few days ago we experienced a whole debate on the need to have a separation of Ministries where it regards police and justice. Is our memory so short and narrow? How could MP like Jose Herrera who on one hand criticised Hon Dr Carm Mifsud Bonnici for delay in the separation Prosecution and Judiciary on the pretext so as to have a fair hearing and now throwing that same principle out of the window?

If for the sake of argument we accept the right of parliament to accuse and condemn someone for breaking parliamentary privileges, does our parliament has this same right over whoever is a civil servant? Where are the human rights which guarantee the right of defence?

I believe that there should have been a clear ruling from the Speaker on this and if it results that presently Parliament still retains this right I expect all the lawyers sitting in Parliament to start screaming their heads for its curtailment.

Or are such vested rights are only to be curtailed provided that ‘mine’ are not touched? Are we experiencing a Parliamentary dictatorship where if backed by a majority everything is right?

We all remember the Mistra scandal, and his brilliant acting and tears and denials on television, playing the victim. What a snake.

Who is going to take him seriously now? This man knows no shame, lying even to Dr. Gonzi.

Truly, truly a hypocrite who clearly belongs in Joseph’s skip, with Mrs Pullicino Orlando Smith I and II for company.