A Bill which opens the door for national honours awarded to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to be withdrawn, sailed though the House of Representatives with consensus and without debate this evening.

The Bill lays down that the President, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister after having consulted the Leader of the Opposition, may withdraw national honours granted under the Gieh Ir-Repubblika Act.

An honour may be withdrawn if the conduct of the award holder "has made him unworthy of continuing to be a member of the Xirka Gieh Ir-Repubblika or the Order or Merit or that it is no longer proper to keep the honorary appointment to the Xirka or to the Order."

The government and the opposition have already declared that Maltese honours conferred to Col Gaddafi will be withdrawn. Opposition leader Joseph Muscat suggested that similar action should be taken with regard to former Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, something which the government said it would consider.

Gaddafi’s was awarded honorary membership of the Xirka Gieħ ir-Reppublika in 1975 and became a member of the National Order of Merit  in 2004.

The Bill approved today also provides that Malta may award the Medal of Honour posthumously to foreigners. Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said this could apply in circumstances such as the recent case where an Eritrean migrant drowned while saving two Frenchmen swimming at Paradise Bay.