Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1532882
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 MARCH 2025 ANALYSIS From Charles to Byron: Labour's changed ON 28 January 1998, prime minister Alfred Sant rose up in parliament to make a ministe- rial statement. The subject was the resignation, earlier in the day, of justice minister Charles Mangion. The minister had submitted his resignation over what he claimed was a misunderstand- ing of a Cabinet memo that dealt with presidential pardons involving drug crimes. Man- gion had done nothing criminal or even unethical. His resigna- tion was the result of political misjudgement. The prime minister had im- mediately accepted Mangion's resignation while praising him for setting a high bar for "pub- lic and political accountabili- ty". Mangion's resignation was prompted by his decision to recommend a presidential par- don for a prisoner, who was serving time for possession of 30g of cocaine. The inmate's lawyer had written to the min- ister requesting that his cli- ent be released from prison a month earlier than was due so that he would be able to enjoy Christmas with his family. Mangion sought the advice of the police force, which was contrary to the one-month pardon. The minister also sought the advice of the prison drug reha- bilitation facility in Mtaħleb, known as SATU (Substance Abuse Therapeutic Unit), where the prisoner had been receiving treatment for drug addiction. SATU was not against the pardon since the man had registered progress but urged that upon release, he continue visiting the centre for assistance. Based on this advice, Man- gion decided to recommend the pardon, which saw the man being released from prison a month early. Cabinet memo, Queiroz and accountability In May 1997, the Cabinet had decided to delegate deci- sion-making on petitions for clemency exclusively to the justice minister. However, re- quests for presidential pardons involving drug crimes had to be referred to Cabinet. Mangion had interpreted 'drug crimes' to be a reference to the more serious cases of drug trafficking and not simple possession as was the case that cost him his job. In his resignation letter, Man- gion recognised his failure to consult Cabinet on the pardon and resigned forthwith. In parliament, Alfred Sant explained the rationale behind his decision to accept Man- gion's resignation. "In no way could I agree with the [minister's] decision [rec- ommending the pardon], more so because this could contra- dict the harsh and justifiable criticism as a party in Oppo- sition we had levelled towards the Nationalist government when it pardoned the drug traf- ficker Queiroz," Sant said. Francesco de Assis Queiroz was a convicted Brazilian drug trafficker who was caught im- porting 3kg of cocaine in a false-bottomed suitcase. In 1994, Queiroz was granted a presidential pardon by the Na- tionalist administration and sent back to his home country after serving just three years of his 12-year prison sentence. The Labour Party in Oppo- sition at the time was highly critical of the decision with Alfred Sant claiming he was morally convinced money had exchanged hands. Roll forward to 1998 and Sant's reference to the Quei- roz affair was pertinent in the circumstances. His govern- ment could not be seen as ped- dling back on its strong stance against drugs. But Alfred Sant also highlight- ed the fact that the pardoned inmate was being investigated by the police in a separate case of money laundering. This fact was unknown to Mangion. Nonetheless, Sant had glow- ing praise for Mangion's ac- tions. "He is not only showing a unique example of accountabil- ity that we require in this coun- try's public life, but is trans- lating words into action and abiding fully by this principle." There were no ifs and buts in Sant's decision to accept Man- gion's resignation. Neither was there any attempt by Mangion to hide behind legal machina- tions to defend his political misjudgement. The minister admitted his mistake and re- signed. The whole episode remains until today a model of how po- litical accountability should be exercised by elected represent- atives and top public officials. The Byron affair And 27 years later, Alfred Sant still holds those same views about accountability. In his weekly opinion piece in The Malta Independent (27 Octo- ber 2025), the former Labour leader did not mince his words on the responsibility Home Af- fairs Minister Byron Camilleri should have shouldered after drugs stored on an army base were stolen. Camilleri did offer his resig- nation but this was outright re- jected by Prime Minister Rob- ert Abela. "Home Affairs Minister By- ron Camilleri did well to offer his resignation following the theft of cannabis from an army depot. Perhaps it would have been better had he resigned," Sant wrote. The mis en scene of having the minister's resignation re- jected was not lost on Sant either, who compared it to an incident from the 1990s when then prime minister Eddie Fenech Adami had offered his resignation after a court found him guilty of political discrim- ination. Sant commented: "After all, at Labour we made much fun of Prime Minister Fenech Adami when having been censured by the courts, he resigned, con- fident that he would be called back and 'obliged' to withdraw his resignation. But that must have been a long time ago!" Fenech Adami's resignation was rejected by his Cabinet and Drugs, ministerial blunders and political responsibility. KURT SANSONE charts the different paths taken by Alfred Sant and Robert Abela when dealing with ministers at the centre of political controversy.