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9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 MARCH 2026 NEWS Stubborn irreverence: Wenzu Mintoff's career of open defiance JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt WENZU Mintoff has spent decades taking on battles most would avoid, often placing principle above party loyalty and public approval. From resigning from the Labour Party in protest over political thug- gery and corruption to co-founding a third party, his career reads like a masterclass in stubborn persistence. His latest five-page sworn letter to Cabinet after being snubbed by the prime minister for the post of chief justice raises a question impossible to ignore: Is this the act of a prin- cipled crusader, or the tantrum of a scorned judge denied the appoint- ment he coveted? The following 10 episodes offer some clues. EPISODE 1 1985: Resignation from Zghazaghħ Socjalisti over violence against environmentalists Wenzu Mintoff resigned as sec- retary-general of the youth wing Żgħażagħ Soċjalisti after a protest in Valletta by environmental activ- ists (Żgħażagħ għall-Ambjent) on 17 November, 1985, was violently attacked by party-aligned "thugs" associated with former public works minister Lorry Sant. Environmen- talists opposed the Building Devel- opment Areas (BDAs). These were early zoning mechanisms in Malta aimed at arbitrarily identifying land where development was permissi- ble. Mintoff condemned the party's tolerance of such violence, citing his socialist ideals as incompatible with these actions. Despite his youth leadership resignation, he remained politically active and was elected La- bour MP in a casual election in 1987 despite only securing 188 first count votes. EPISODE 2 1989: Resignation as Labour Party whip Following continued disillusion- ment with Labour, Mintoff resigned from his position as party Whip in 1989 alongside Toni Abela, who stepped down from party president. Their resignations were triggered by the party's failure to clamp down on corrupt and violent elements who remained prominent despite the 1987 electoral defeat. In their letter both Mintoff and Abela reiterated their loyalty to democratic social- An artist's impression of Lorry Sant henchman Piju Camilleri, who was one of the businesspersons who benefitted from loans taken out of Mid Med Bank in an abusive manner in the 1980s. The Mid Med scandal was subject to an inquiry that uncovered a network of abuse and corruption with Wenzu Mintoff acting as a whistleblower. CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE >