Updated 5.30pm
Opposition leader Bernard Grech has been reprimanded by the Speaker of the House for saying the government is in collusion with criminals.
On Tuesday, Farrugia began the parliamentary sitting by passing a ruling that censured Grech’s comments, as he went against the Speaker’s orders and did not revoke what he said.
During a heated parliamentary debate on Monday, Speaker of the House Anglu Farrugia asked both sides of the house to apologise to each other, after Prime Minister Robert Abela called PN MP Alex Borg a "clown", and Grech said that the government is in collusion with criminals.
While Abela apologised, Grech said he was sticking to his claim that the government was corrupt.
In his ruling, Farrugia warned Grech that if he were to repeat these words then parliament would have to take further action against Grech.
After the ruling, Farrugia reminded MPs that insults are not parliamentary language.
Monday’s parliamentary debate became heated after the Speaker turned down the PN’s demand to have an urgent parliamentary debate about the theft of 200kg of cannabis resin from the army's Safi barracks.
Police have made a number of arrests in connection with the theft.
This heist took place on Sunday and led to Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri asking Prime Minister Robert Abela to accept his resignation. AFM commander Clinton O'Neill was suspended.
Following Monday’s heated parliamentary debate, the cabinet marched into parliament together on Tuesday.
Continuing where he had left off on Monday night, Abela said this incident would not be solved with the Opposition’s theatrics that happened the day before.
Abela also mentioned how the authorities, under a PN government, had let drug dealer Francesco de Assis Queiroz go back home to Brazil by granting him a presidential pardon. He then read out the letter by then attorney general Anthony Borg Barthet in which he had expressed his disapproval for this decision.
Grech protested this statement, arguing that the prime minister must stick to the topic of the ministerial statement.
The Opposition leader reiterated his call for Camilleri to step down as Minister.
“This is not business as usual,” Grech said, when saying that this cannot happen again.
PN MP Darren Carabott pointed out that Camilleri is yet to speak in parliament about the case.
PN MP Adrian Delia referred to the statement Abela made, questioning whether this speech was offering any comfort to citizens.