Gżira deputy mayor Joe Camilleri has given in to pressure and resigned from the Labour Party after it was discovered he has a pending criminal case.

A Labour spokesman confirmed that Mr Camilleri was asked to “reconsider” his position and his representation of the party after the PL recently discovered that he had a pending criminal case.

The case began before 2007, when he was accepted as a candidate for the local council election in Gżira, but the party was unaware of it.

The details of the case could not be confirmed yesterday but the charges are not council-related.

Mr Camilleri, who refused to comment on the reason behind his resignation, will remain on the council as an independent member. When contacted at the council offices yesterday, he thanked The Times for “the interest” but declined to comment.

His departure nullifies the Labour Party’s majority in Gżira, a majority it claimed at the March 2007 election for the first time since councils were set up. Both the Nationalist Party and the PL have three members each now and Mr Camilleri sits in the middle.

The charges are not the only problem that led to the resignation from the party, sources said, referring to a long-standing rift with mayor Chris Bonett.

The rift between Mr Camilleri and Dr Bonett has come a long way. After the resignation of former deputy mayor Dunstan Attard earlier this year, Mr Camilleri took up the vacant post within the council and the problems between him and the mayor worsened.

The sources said Mr Camilleri spent long hours at the council and Dr Bonett was irked by certain decisions he had taken, which seemed as though he was bypassing him. Although he continued to express his opinions during council meetings, he still toed the party line, the sources added.

Dr Bonett did not return several calls made by The Times.

Despite resigning from the party, Mr Camilleri will retain his post of deputy mayor. For the PL to claim this post, it would have to move a motion of no confidence against him. However, the prospect had not been discussed, party sources said. Officially, the party did not comment on any plans to move such a motion. For a motion of no confidence to go through, the party needs four votes, which means the three Labour councillors would need another yes vote from one of the PN councillors.

If such a situation developed it would be similar to the ousting of former Sliema mayor Nikki Dimech on Thursday.