Chris Said ‘did what was right’– PM

Former Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said’s ethically driven decision to resign from his post, after a court ruled he should face perjury proceedings, showed he took his political role seriously, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.

Dr Gonzi said Dr Said, who is still a Member of Parliament, had been faced with a difficult test on Thursday, when the court handed down its decision, and had passed it with flying colours.

“The past few days were a test for any politician who is in politics to be of service to the public and who wants to do what is right,” Dr Gonzi said during an activity at the Nationalist Party club in Għajnsielem.

The Prime Minister went on to add that he believed “good would prevail” and added that Dr Said’s resignation had ignited “a popular sentiment of solidarity” towards the former parliamentary secretary.

This was evident yesterday when Dr Said was greeted by a loud and heartfelt applause from the audience and messages of encouragement from Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono and parliamentary assistant Frederick Azzopardi, who were present.

This solidarity seemed to have boosted Dr Said’s morale as he looked composed – in contrast to moments on Thursday when tears welled up in his eyes as he addressed a press conference after his resignation.

The former parliamentary secretary stepped down after an appeals court overturned a magistrates’ court decision and ordered the police to prosecute him after finding there was a prima facie case to answer for perjury.

In accepting Dr Said’s resignation, Dr Gonzi said he wished “the conclusion without delay of this legal process will allow me to appoint you in the same post” – a message he reiterated yesterday.

The resignation revolves around a technical legal battle, which started in 2007 as a custody case over a newborn child in which Dr Said, acting in his professional capacity as a lawyer, represented British citizen Helen Milligan against her former partner Anthony Xuereb.

Mr Xuereb is claiming that in evidence tendered by Dr Said in 2009, Dr Said erroneously said that a court had decided to return the child to the mother after it had heard all sides of the case in an evening sitting.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Dr Said admitted to the mistake but insisted he had no intention of lying about facts which could easily have been verified.

In the interview he also said he had decided he would step down “a while ago” if the court decided he should be charged with perjury.

“I can assure you that I took my decision (to hand in my resignation) serenely,” he said yesterday.

“Being involved in politics is not about occupying a role at all costs, it’s about acting in a correct and proper manner... Given the circumstances, I felt that resigning was the correct thing to do. Now I can defend myself freely without disrupting the government’s work,” he said.

He added that he was convinced that he had done nothing to be ashamed of or anything that broke the law.

Dr Said also thanked the “thousands” of people, from various political backgrounds, who had sent him messages of solidarity over the past few days.

Describing himself as an optimist, he said he would use this time to be closer to his Gozitan constituents and spend more time with his wife and three children.