Claudio Vincenzo Bonnici graduated in law in 1802. In 1803, he was given the warrant of lawyer. On the 13th of October 1817, a government notice announced that Dr. Claudio Vincenzo Bonnici was to act as a Crown Advocate replacing Mr Marquis Dr Gio Francesco Alessi with a salary of 2500 scudi. In 1818 his salary increased to 3000 scudi. On the 4th of April 1825, he was appointed to sit in the Criminal Court as a Majesty’s Judge – 1834 Criminal Code was dissolved; Judge Claudio Vincenzo Bonnici with other Judges were entrusted with the compilation of the new Civil and Commercial and of the Code of Civil Procedure – 27th of July 1835 was appointed as knight commander and he was knighted by the K.C.M.G – 1st January 1839 presented their resignation; 14th March 1839 died.
Born in Vittoriosa on the 30 June 1890, Paul Boffa was educated at the Lyceum and at the University of Malta from where he graduated as a Medical Doctor in 1912. During World War I he served with the Royal Medical Corps in Malta, Thessaloniki, and on hospital ships. After the war he set up in private practice in Paola.
Paul Boffa entered politics when Malta was granted self government in 1921 and joined the Labour Party in 1923. He was returned to Parliament under the Amery-Milner Constitution in 1924, 1927 and 1932.
He was elected Leader of the Labour Party in 1927 and immediately began to instil in the workers the need of rightfully equal representation in government in order to have a say in their own affairs. He was in coalition with Lord Strickland's party in government (1927-32). In 1932 Paul Boffa was the only Labour Party candidate elected to the Legislative Assembly until it was dissolved in 1933. He was nominated as a member of the Executive Council from 1936-1939.
During World War II Paul Boffa served with distinction as district Commissioner and ARP Medical Officer in the Cottonera, Paola, Tarxien and Luqa areas.
In the 1945 elections, Dr Boffa was again elected in the Labour Party. Boffa reached the acme of his political career in November 1947 when, he became the first Labour Prime Minister. His administration was instrumental in obtaining recognition of the Maltese language in the law courts and the introduction of compulsory primary education and old-age pensions as well as the granting of the vote to women.
In 1949, following the Labour Party's ultimatum to Britain concerning financial help, the Labour Party split up but Dr. Boffa continued as Prime Minister and later founded and led the Malta Workers' Party (MWP), that lost the 1950 Elections.
Boffa was re-elected in 1951 and in 1953 and joined a coalition government with the Nationalist Party led by George Borg Olivier, assuming the portfolio of Minister of Health and Social Services. The MWP did not contest the 1955 elections and in 1955 he resigned for health reasons.
Honours:
1956 - Knight Bachelor - New Year's Honours List in recognition of distinguished public services.
1914-18 - He was also awarded the 1914-18 Star, the General Service Medal, the Victory Medal, the Coronation Medal and the Defence Medal.
Birth: 23rd March 1917 in Attard, Belt, Valletta (Malta)
Died: 6th October 1991 in Pieta, Tal-Pieta (Malta)
When Mintoff became prime minister in June 1971, De Gray was given two options – face an inquiry or retire on pension. De Gray opted for the latter.
After De Gray’s resignation, Alfred Bencini was appointed commissioner.
Affie Bencini, although handpicked by Mintoff himself some ten days after Labour came to power in 1971 to replace De Gray at the very top echelon of the Police Force, stood up and tall against any external interference and political bullying coming from a political party in power – be it forthcoming from Mintoff himself or any other who tried to make use of the Police Force to further their own ends.
To this effect, relationship with Joe Camilleri, Mintoff’s personal Secretary (and friend) turned sour, to the point that both were summoned at Mintoff’s Office at Aragon (the OPM was still Auberge d’Aragon at the time) to square out the differences and bury the hatchet. The meeting ended with a handshake but the situation between the two remained bitter as Bencini was adamant to stamp out any political interference in the Police Force.
Sometime later Affie Bencini removed an Inspector from the post of Adjutant
There followed an immediate counter-order from Mintoff to leave everything as is, at a point when everyone within the Force had come to know about it. Bencini (rightly) felt that police officers could not continue looking up to him with the same respect and discipline as before and pointed this out to Mintoff.
This led to Bencini’s premature end from his post as Commissioner of Police. In August 72 Affie Bencini went out on protest leave and in January 1973 he retired on pension.