That Malta’s Law Commissioner, Dr Franco Debono, is a controversial figure is by now taken for granted by everyone. His recent stint as a Member of Parliament under Lawrence Gonzi’s premiership served, in many ways, to show the electorate that passion for one’s ideas doesn’t necessarily translate into good governance, as was the case with Dr Debono’s short political career.

Even when he was pushing forward good and logical reforms, the style he adopted was always dubious and left those with whom he needed to team up to be able to deliver with a sense of uneasiness.

It was only when he realised that his team mates were simply putting up with his constant rant due to the one-seat majority that he set his mind to bring down the government he formed part of.  The rest is history.

He obviously didn’t resort to political suicide had he not been set to conquer the Law Commissioner’s office post 2013 election.  Now it is Minister Owen Bonnici’s turn to simmer in embarrassment as he reads through the daily tantrums of his appointee.

The post of Law Commissioner was, until Dr Debono stepped into those shoes, irrelevant for most people. No one really cared who was appointed to that post let alone complain on his/her performance. This is why Dr Debono’s insistence on social media that his predecessors barely registered any significance is a misconceived argument because no one before Dr Debono tried to turn the office of the Law Commissioner into a marketing tool for the government and for himself. 

Dr Debono, wearing his new hat as Law Commissioner while keeping his old habits acting as an aggressive political lobbyist advocating his own beliefs, has pushed forward the reforms he so fondly spoke of in his short time in politics. To that the country owes him respect.

However, Dr Debono has now unveiled a very serious conflict of interest.  He hasn’t done so out of principle but in one of those scornful moments when he takes to social media and renders himself uncontrollable, worse than a hurricane and a liability to himself and the government he represents.

The Law Commissioner has been pushing to reform the laws that govern libel cases. We, as a media institution, support his stance that criminal libel should be abolished once and for all.

But in a recent post on Daphne Caruana Galizia’s blog, the Law Commissioner gave away his true intentions as to why he is so eager to see libel damages rise as a consequence to the removal of the criminal libel.

In a heated exchange between the blogger and himself, he wrote, “The moment libel damages are increased in this country, something I called for years ago, you (DCG) risk bankruptcy.”  He repeats himself, triumphantly, in another post on the same night, “The moment libel damages are increased, Daphne risks bankruptcy.”

If any further proof was needed to open the government’s eyes to the farce in which Dr Debono has rendered the office of the law commissioner it must be this flagrant case of personal agenda, soaring vendetta, conflict of interest, call it what you wish. 

Dr Debono should be either sacked or, if possible, muzzled from speaking out in public on matters of national concern that conflict with his super ego.

It is rumoured that Dr Debono is seeking an invitation to join the PL ranks in the next election. Should he succeed in attaining this goal he will be in a position to whip his adversaries, such as Daphne, on an equal footing but for him to retain the post of Law Commissioner and consultant to the Prime Minister.

He needs to grow into the man he so far has never managed to.