Our readers will probably wonder why once again we’re using our daily space for an editorial to write about Konrad Mizzi.

Well, we’re just glad that he is retiring from politics, something he should have done a long time ago, at least since the Labour Party dismissed him from the parliamentary group.

He was presented as one of Joseph Muscat’s stars in the run-up to the 2013 election, but from then onwards he was entangled in the most controversial decisions which the Labour government took in portfolios that were under his responsibility.

The Electrogas power station deal, the Montenegro wind farm and the concession of three public hospitals to Vitals, and later to Steward, will remain big blemishes on his political career.

The Public Accounts Committee was questioning Mizzi, before Parliament was dissolved, on a 600-page highly-critical report drawn up by the National Audit Office on the Electrogas deal. His procrastination did not help.

Last December, Montenegro’s Parliament voted to form an inquiry committee to investigate the Mozura wind farm project, mired as it was in what the vice-president of the assembly described as a “major international corruption scandal”.

The public hospitals deal is still before the courts in a case filed by former Opposition Leader Adrian Delia, with former Finance Minister Edward Scicluna testifying in court that he was unaware of a side-letter signed with Vitals Global Healthcare which provided for a €100 million termination clause.

In two successive legislatures, Konrad Mizzi did not keep the position he was originally given by Muscat. It’s not something that he can be proud of.

In 2016, he lost the responsibilities of the energy and health portfolios after the Panama Papers scandal broke out. He remained a minister in the OPM, at the time still led by Muscat. In those eventful times, he also resigned from the post of PL deputy leader just three months after being elected, because of the same issue.

He was re-appointed minister, this time for tourism, in 2017, but this did not last long either. He resigned in November 2019 hours after his “Panama” colleague, former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri, had also resigned.

As if this had not been enough, soon after his latter resignation Mizzi had accepted to become a consultant to the Malta Tourism Authority, on the instructions of Muscat. The €80,000 contract was terminated when Robert Abela replaced Muscat as Prime Minister.

Most of all, Mizzi will be remembered as being the only minister in the European Union to have been caught having opened a company in Panama. He and Schembri had been defended to the hilt by Muscat, and the three were ultimately brought down in the same week.

Mizzi now tells us that he will not contest the election. The Labour Party does not want him.

He also tells us that he has found God. He says that he’s at peace with himself, and that’s something that we wish for everyone.

But he still has a lot to answer for, and we wait for the day when all will be revealed. He can certainly help with that, as he knows the truth but, given the way he has behaved at the PAC and in testimonies given in court, he has not been forthcoming.

We will not be missing Mizzi in politics. Actually, it’s good riddance.

We just hope that it is really over for him, and that he will not be considered for some lucrative post in some agency or authority by the new government.

That would spell trouble.