Considered as one of Labour’s star candidates in the last general election, Manuel Mallia was elected at first go from the ninth and tenth electoral districts.

Regarded as one of the country’s top criminal lawyers, Dr Mallia had announced his decision to run for Parliament on the Labour Party ticket in January 2012.

It was a significant candidature. His Nationalist background highlighted the haemorrhage of voters from the PN, who were switching allegiance for the first time.

Following Labour’s triumph at the polls, Dr Mallia was entrusted with one of the most important portfolios as Minister for Home Affairs and National Security.

However, the decision to give him responsibility for broadcasting together with the police, the army and other disciplined forces had raised eyebrows.

His honeymoon in politics would be over in a matter of weeks when he started hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons.

He soon became one of the most gaffe-prone members of Cabinet, also due to his confrontational approach and overbearing personality.

Three months into his term, he announced a partial amnesty to mark Labour’s win and shocked many people when he was given a hero’s welcome by prison inmates.

In his first ministerial declaration of assets, Dr Mallia failed to declare his income but later declared having €500,000 in cash stashed at home.

He will also be remembered for the controversial promotions which saw former major Jeffrey Curmi leapfrog to Commander in the space of a few weeks.

A number of army officers sought redress from the Ombudsman but Dr Mallia controversially decided to block the probe saying that such complaints were not within his remit.

In July, police commissioner Peter Paul Zammit, who had replaced John Rizzo a month after Labour’s victory, stepped down. The minister was silent for a week before telling Parliament that the Commissioner had not been forced to quit. Ray Zammit was named Acting Commissioner.

Meanwhile, the Police Association has filed a judicial protest arguing that Dr Mallia’s decision to put the three highest ranks on a performance-related basis was undermining the autonomy of the force.

The fatal blow came on the night of Wednesday, November 19, when Dr Mallia’s driver was involved in the shooting incident and he was faced with allegations of a cover-up.