Was Lovely Owen (kemm hu helu miskin) drunk or half asleep when he crashed into those cars, injuring somebody?

Published: April 9, 2014 at 4:02pm

Owen Bonnici

He says he was tired – and then released a statement saying he should have released a statement about his own bad news, rather than doing so after others reported it.

The police now refuse to say whether he was breathalysed or not.

Doesn’t the man have a driver? He’s Justice Minister, for heaven’s sake. That’s why people have chauffeurs – to avoid this kind of thing happening (unless the chauffeur is the Finance Minister’s, who crashed into a woman crossing Floriana road and knocked her over).




42 Comments Comment

  1. Joe Fenech says:

    A (justice) minister who, potentially, was drunk-driving. Now we’ve heard it all.

    • Joe Fenech says:

      I was never into politics but had a family and a professional activity that hardly ever left me time to put my feet up. How on earth do these people find time for such hedonistic life-styles?

  2. M. Cassar says:

    Endemic ‘do you know who I am syndrome’ manifests itself in rampant different weights and measures. Therefore ‘the police now refuse to say whether he was breathalysed or not.’

    • Jozef says:

      There’s also the minor detail of the other party, broken leg and hospitalized agreeing to resolving this out of court.

      Even if they did, Bonnici is the justice minister and perhaps the bloke in question felt it better to agree.

      Gvern li jhallik b’sieq miksura.

      • Francis Saliba M.D. says:

        The agreement to resolve this GBH accident out of court would appear to be “an offer that couldn’t be refused” if the injured party knew what is good for him during the next four years (minimum).

      • ACD says:

        Driving under the influence of alcohol is a criminal offence and cannot be “resolved out of court”. That’s why there’s no breathalyser test. If there were, then injury or no injury, Bonnici would be in trouble.

      • Antoine Vella says:

        If the injured persons are Labour supporters, the minister would have had no problem in getting them to agree to a settlement.

        They are like that.

  3. Benny Hill says:

    He was about the only seemingly normal guy in the whole ‘Taghna Lkoll’ brigade.

    If he has resorted to drinking, I can probably see why.

  4. M says:

    That is when ‘taghna biss’ comes in handy hux?! What cosy bedfellows, those that do the deed and those that cover it up!

  5. Manuel says:

    What is very disquieting about all this is that the Police kept it all under secrecy. If I am not mistaken, the incident happened on Thursday last week. Am I right?

    If this is the case then it is very serious. Keeping something like this under the carpet for almost a week, is very serious. What about the injured party? Are they not allowed to give their version of the events? Why did the DOI justify this incident by saying that the car of these two brothers was parked in a dangerous position? Was the DOI trying to blame them, rather than the Minister?

  6. Aunt Hetty says:

    In the meantime, honest citizens have to resort to setting up vigilante squads in order to safeguard their private property seeing that the police are unable or too disinterested to take action;
    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140409/local/Neighbours-plan-to-foil-car-vandals.514168

    • Jozef says:

      Remember Muscat et podium, solemnly promising police presence in the area, as motorists were ordered to drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid him?

  7. Dickens says:

    http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/37829/lighting_without_uv_filters_left_muscat_with_temporarily_impaired_vision#.U0VeNKLDKWc

    Is there some government entity whose job it is to ensure that the chances of such incidents happening is negligible during public events of any sort?

    Or anything goes in today’s Malta?

    • me thinks says:

      What they aren’t saying is that to get UV exposure you have to have placed UV bulbs (which cause cancer) instead of normal coloured light bulbs.

      If this is the case, (which according to the result must be so) safety regulations for the use of these bulbs are exceptionally stringent and OHSA should be brought in.

      What is even more interesting is that the Minister of Health is also the Minister for OHSA, who was also one of the individuals hospitalised. Vera ta’dahk.

  8. Pink Panther says:

    If Owen Bonnici’s driving is as good as his walking then I am afraid he is a road hazard irrespective of his alcohol intake.

  9. Pete Ross says:

    I had posted a comment on Times of Malta under this news in the sense that in similar accidents the police normally ask for a breathalyser.

    My comment made it through the moderator’s scissors but was removed later on.

    I did not in anyway whatsoever say or indicate that the driver was under the influence.

    • Francis Saliba M.D. says:

      A breathalyser test is advisable because driving skill is impaired at low blood alcohol levels when behaviour e.g gait, speech etc appear to be quite normal.

      It is not intended only to inculpate drink drivers but also to prove the contrary. People refusing the test, or not asked to take it, would raise serious doubts for the reason behind the omission.

  10. edgar says:

    That same evening, just before the accident, he was guest of honour of the Italian Cultural Institute and in the middle of a presentation, he stood up and walked out of the hall.

    • Jozef says:

      Reports place the accident with the minister driving through St.Venera tunnels direction Marsa.

      Strange, the Italian Cultural Institute was still in St.George’s Square last Sunday.

  11. Gladio says:

    If this case proceeds to criminal action by the police against Owen Bonnici I expect him to tender his resignation. His case is similar to the case involving the former head of the Secret Service under the PN administration Godfrey Scicluna.

    http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/court_and_police/25009/prime-minister-denies-suggestions-that-secret-service-chief-s-accident-was-covered-up-20130225#.U0Vzi6iSzHQ

  12. C Mifsud says:

    Owen Bonnici is one of the few Labour MPs I don’t detest. Shame.

    • Tabatha White says:

      As Minister for Justice, it is within Owen Bonnici’s jurisdiction for corrupt practice in the handling of any Government matter to be investigated.

      George M. Mangion points out an area that Owen Bonnici should open his eyes to and deal with:

      http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-04-09/opinions/wasted-days-and-wasted-nights-4570185728/

      Transparency in procurement matters and should especially not be overlooked in one’s assessment of a operator within the Labour Government.

      How Henley came to be there is not transparent.

      Neither is the matter of the Power Station tender.

      In addition to which there is all this business going on at the Lands Department.

      And the manner in which tenders are published at the literal last minute.

      Things that really matter, such as the Whistleblower Act, are being introduced incomplete and without the necessary safeguards that render them effective. They look good on paper but have no impact where they should.

      Owen Bonnici is in a position to pull a good many socks up, but hasn’t: not now, not previously.

      In addition to all the points, including his part in pushing forward the IIP scam, now we see here that when it came to his own personal failing, in a matter directly touching upon his own Ministry, he hesitated and kept mum until the moment he couldn’t do otherwise.

      He’s no different to Joseph Muscat in my book.
      They’ve all voted the same way in Parliament.

    • curious says:

      I don’t agree. For me, he’s another Varist.

      • H.P. Baxxter says:

        You nailed it. He’s the new Varist. Affable and friendly on the outside, a friend to the pepe and the arts crowd, and baby-faced with it. Inside, he’s a ruthless power-hungry Mintoffjan, a mass of spite and venom.

  13. bob-a-job says:

    At only 34 years and somewhat smarter than the Muscat, Owen Bonnici may well be the next PL leader particularly when it starts to dawn on everyone that Joseph Muscat did very little to the Labour Party other than a change of logo and a bit of makeup.

    The real change had come with Alfred Sant albeit at a high price.

  14. wow says:

    C’mon Daphne he went out celebrating his promotion u ha drink zejjed miskin.

  15. xifajk says:

    Gvern li Jtajrek

  16. damages in tort says:

    All drivers keep in mind that government cars in Malta are not insured. The government is its own insurer. If you have an accident, whether it’s your fault or not, you may find it difficult to get compensation. If it’s not your fault, you will have to sue the government driver personally for damages. At least, this was the situation some time ago and I haven’t heard that it has changed.

  17. Gahan says:

    He could have easily been on his mobile phone.

  18. Ruth says:

    He doesn’t have a driver because apparently he’s not the Prime Minister’s wife.

  19. verita says:

    He was overjoyed celebrating his promotion to minister. Iva tuh cans miskin

  20. TROY says:

    Owen Bonnici doesn’t strike me as the ‘drinking type’, ma nafx, just my opinion.

  21. Gahan says:

    Minn xejn ma saru jisthu dawn in-nies. Mur gib li kien Simon Busuttil tajjar lil xi hadd, kieku diga ghaddewh guri.

  22. ken il malti says:

    Owen looks like an Irish lush in that photo.

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