I have long believed that a person who becomes an issue becomes a liability, no matter the extent of their positive contribution or the truth or otherwise of the accusations against them, or the motivation for those accusations. It is because of this long-held view that, as you know, it was my wish to resign immediately the Opposition motion against me was brought before Parliament, but the imperative towards duty compelled me to stay as long as required to answer questions from Parliament’s Foreign and European Affairs Committee.

Since 2004, I have served Malta loyally as its first Permanent Representative to the European Union. I have always represented our nation’s interests with the utmost dedication. Whether I have served my country well is ultimately for others to decide.

It is unfortunate that the outcome of this motion was at the outset predicated on a collusion of interests that are, ultimately, personal and which had little or nothing to do with the contents of the motion itself. This was immediately apparent from the line of questioning taken during sittings of the parliamentary committee, and most especially from one or two speeches in Parliament this evening. I realise that it was a fait accompli, with the outcome assured even before the motion was presented.

My decades of work in politics and related fields have taught me that it is naive to assume that the principles of correctness and decency will not, occasionally, be corrupted. While righteousness will, ultimately, prevail, it does not necessarily do so in the short term, to order, or in ways that may be immediately evident.

While I remain at your disposal , in the circumstances it is my wish that you will accept this resignation.