The Prime Minister will live to regret his decision to give former Nationalist MPs – rebel backbencher Franco Debono and former European Commissioner John Dalli – government posts, according to Lawrence Gonzi.

“I think he’s making a big mistake and he will have to pay an enormous price in the future,” the former premier said, stopping short of elaborating.

In a retrospective interview with The Sunday Times of Malta since bowing out of politics after 25 years, the former PN leader said this decision completely contradicted Labour’s pre-electoral battle cry to reward meritocracy.

“It’s the worst thing one could possibly do... We now find out that the concept of meritocracy is completely different from what we had imagined it would be,” he said.

Mr Dalli has long criticised Dr Gonzi, even suggesting there could be the hand of his people behind the snus scandal which led to his resignation as European Commissioner.

Dr Gonzi vehemently denied these allegations and insisted that on the contrary “we tried our very best to try to get the whole of Malta out from what was becoming an embarrassing situation for us all”.

Asked what went through his mind when he heard about Mr Dalli’s controversial trip to the Bahamas to provide consultancy to set up a charitable organisation, Dr Gonzi felt this was something he had to explain.

“I find it rather disappointing that he did something that apparently went against the code of ethics. I keep worrying about our reputation within the EU... This is a serious matter,” he said.

Did he regret ever appointing him as European Commissioner?

“Decisions are taken in the circumstances you have at the time without the benefit of hindsight,” Dr Gonzi said.

“The point is that John, at the time, wanted to become commissioner, and within the context of the realities I had, the decision appeared to be a good one and I was convinced he would be a good commissioner.

“Now today, after having gone through this experience, the question is impossible to answer... I honestly hope this chapter is closed as quickly as possible. Malta doesn’t deserve to have this shadow hanging over its head.”

The belief is that the acrimony between the two started when Dr Gonzi and Mr Dalli went head to head in the 2004 PN leadership race, but Dr Gonzi is quick to dispel this perception of a silent feud.

“For somebody who placed John as foreign affairs minister, as social policy minister in the biggest portfolio one could possibly imagine, endorsed his name as commissioner for Malta... I wonder how I can be described as somebody in a continuous feud with John if in every single circumstance I put him in major key positions,” he said.

Asked to comment on the influence another former minister, Austin Gatt, held on him and his party, Dr Gonzi denied that he would stamp his feet and get his way.

“Austin has a strong character and a very long, rich experience in the party. He has a lot of assets, but then there’s his character, and anybody who knows Austin knows and expects him to behave in a certain way.”

Malta doesn’t deserve to have this shadow hanging over its head

Reacting to Dr Gatt’s persistent refusal to reply to accusations of shortcomings over fuel procurement practices when he was in office as he was now “retired” from politics, Dr Gonzi felt it was unfair criticism since Dr Gatt had sent a letter to Times of Malta saying he would reply in the proper institutions.

“I won’t stand in judgement on what any minister or former politician chooses to do after retiring from politics,” he said.

Insisting there was a simple answer to the Auditor General’s scathing report, he said: “The action to get the police to investigate the corruption was taken by my government and we took the most risky and powerful decision to give a presidential pardon to anyone who had any corruption on Enemalta... If there was a government that really did its utmost to get to the bottom of this, it was my government.

“What we have today is the result of the presidential pardon. So there’s nothing for anyone, for us, to avoid replying to questions.”

Dr Gonzi denied he had an inkling about what was happening when Dr Gatt was politically responsible for Enemalta, and insisted he shifted the portfolio to then finance minister Tonio Fenech in 2010 because the next phase in controlling the national expenditure was intimately linked with the challenges facing Enemalta.

“I had absolutely no idea. I understand the timing, but the change in portfolio was done for a completely different reason.”

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