Carmelo "Carm" Mifsud Bonnici (born 17 February 1960) is a

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Maltese ...

politician who has served in a number of Ministerial posts in the

Government of Malta The Government of Malta () is the executive branch of the Republic of Malta. It is made up of the Cabinet and the Parliamentary Secretaries. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President of Malta The president of Malta () is the cons ...

Background, education and family

Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, the son of former President

Ugo Mifsud Bonnici Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, (born 8 November 1932) is a Maltese politician and was the fifth president of Malta from 1994 to 1999. Early life, education and family Ugo Mifsud Bonnici was born in Cospicua as the son of Professor Carmelo Mifsud Bonnic ...

, was born in

Floriana Floriana ( or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a Floriana Lines, fortified town in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014 ...

on 17 February 1960. He was educated at St. Aloysius' College, Birkirkara, then at De La Salle College in

Cospicua Cospicua (Italian language, Italian) or Bormla (Maltese language, Maltese, ), occasionally also known by the Latin language, Latin name Cottonera, is a double-fortified harbour city in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region of Malta. It served as th ...

. Bonnici is a distant relative of former Labour Prime Minister

Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, (17 July 19335 November 2022) was a Maltese politician who served as Prime Minister of Malta from December 1984 to May 1987.

. During his student days, Mifsud Bonnici occupied the post of President of the MKSU as a university student and was active in the Nationalist Party Youth Movement (MŻPN) as from 1982, occupying different posts in the executive of the said movement. He graduated from the

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association, ...

in 1984 as Doctor of Laws. When graduating, as a lawyer, he practiced in criminal, civil and commercial fields. At present, he is a senior lecturer in Roman Law at the University of Malta.

Family

He is married to Sandra (née Gatt); the couple has three children.

Early political career

Mifsud Bonnici was elected to the House of Representatives in 1998 as a member of the Nationalist Party. He was appointed by parliament as the Chairman of Committees in the same year and was a permanent member of a number of other committees. Between October 2001 and March 2003 he served as a board member of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, being re-elected to the House of Representatives in 2003.

Cabinet appointments

In April 2003, Carm Mifsud Bonnici was appointed Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs. Following the swearing-in of

Lawrence Gonzi Lawrence Gonzi (born 1 July 1953) is a Maltese politician, retired Nationalist politician and lawyer, who served for twenty-five years in various critical roles in Maltese politics. Gonzi was Prime Minister of Malta from 2004 to 2013, and lead ...

as Prime Minister and the subsequent Cabinet reshuffle in March 2004, he was re-confirmed as Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs. During this period he drove the implementation of several reforms and introduction of new concepts in the Maltese judicial system. After the March 2008 general election, Mifsud Bonnici was appointed Minister for Justice and Home Affairs. His portfolio includes the responsibility for the Courts of Justice, the Attorney General's Office, the Police Corps, Immigration, Airport Security, Correctional Services, Civil Protection and Data Protection. In February 2009, Mifsud Bonnici unveiled the White Paper on Restorative Justice which is intended to serve as a basis for public discussion for a deep reform in Malta's penal system. It proposes the introduction of a number of new concepts, including parole, which is as yet unavailable in Malta. In January 2012 he was made Minister for Home and Parliamentary Affairs which included the role of Leader of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

. However, he resigned as Minister the following 30 May after an Opposition motion of no confidence in him was carried, which was supported by all Labour-Parliamentarians along with Nationalist

Franco Debono Franco Debono (born 9 March 1974) is a Maltese criminal trial lawyer and former Nationalist member of Parliament. In 1998, while still a university law student, he contested the general election on the Nationalist Party ticket and received 46 ...

Literary works

Carm Mifsud Bonnici is the author of four publications: ''Żewg Minuti Flimkien'' (1998), ''Il-Prinċipji Hemm Jibqgħu'' (2003), ''Sens u Sustanza'' (2008) and ''Il-Politika tas-Sewwa'' (2013). He also writes weekly columns for the Sunday papers ''Il-Mument'' and ''Illum''.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mifsud Bonnici, Carmelo 1960 births Living people Members of the House of Representatives of Malta Nationalist Party (Malta) politicians People from Floriana Children of presidents 20th-century Maltese politicians 21st-century Maltese politicians