Former home affairs minister Manuel Mallia regrets the incident that cut short his ministerial career and believes he was made a scapegoat at the time. However, four months after Prime Minister Joseph Muscat sacked him for refusing to resign over a shooting incident involving his driver he is back in favour and says their “strong friendship” withstood the potential fallout.

In his first interview, Dr Mallia accepts that by not resigning he could have embarrassed the government but tells The Sunday Times of Malta he still believes it was the right decision.

His resignation was discussed the day after the November 19 incident, but at no point did anyone urge him to shoulder political responsibility – “I’d probably have said yes”; on the contrary, he said, there was support. 

“I did not resign after the inquiry was published [in December] because it exculpated me... If I had resigned at that stage it could be interpreted as if I had something to do with a cover-up,” he said.

With a comeback now on the cards, Dr Mallia denied being offered the post of Foreign Affairs Minister, but would not say if he had been offered another Cabinet position.

Did he think it was appropriate to return to Cabinet? “The Prime Minister may think so,” he said.

Read the full interview in The Sunday Times of Malta and the e-paper on timesofmalta.com Premium..