Robert Abela reached out to former minister Justyne Caruana on Monday during an interview on TVM's Xtra, days after he said it was time to reconsider Rosianne Cutajar's position within the PL.
Caruana, a former Gozo minister and Labour MP, bowed out of the political scene in 2022 after scandals led her to resign twice in two years as minister.
The prime minister volunteered Caruana's name in his TV interview, describing her as "a person that the Maltese political scene has lost" as he spoke about news that Labour MEP Josianne Cutajar will not be contesting the upcoming European Parliament elections.
Both Cutajar and Caruana are from Gozo.
Abela's overture to Caruana comes just days after he told Times of Malta that another former Labour MP, Rosianne Cutajar, had paid a high enough political price and deserved a second chance.
She was moved out of cabinet in 2020 after Times of Malta revealed how she had benefited from a property deal involving Yorgen Fenech. She then resigned from the Labour parliamentary group after chats between her and Fenech were leaked.
Abela said the Qormi MP had been "cruelly butchered" in the public by "hypocrites". He said she had learnt her lessons and when she requested to rejoin the PL, the party would consider her request within this context.
This also applied to Justyne Caruana, he told interviewer Saviour Balzan on Monday evening.
The former Gozo minister had resigned in January 2020 following Times of Malta reports on her then-husband’s friendship with alleged Daphne Caruana Galizia murder mastermind.
After 11 months, she was re-appointed to cabinet as education minister. But around a year later, she was once again forced to resign after an 89-page report compiled by the Standards Commissioner found that Caruana had given her friend Daniel Bogdanović a €15,000 contract.
Abela on Monday insisted that the party's reconciliation with politicians depended on a case-by-case basis.
There was behaviour, he acknowledged, that disqualified a person from public life forever. Other misdemeanours excluded you from public life for a number of months, he said.
'Camilleri the most logical of choices as Planning Minister'
Fielding questions about his recent surprise reshuffle that saw former transport minister Aaron Farrugia left out of cabinet completely, Abela said the changes came about in the national interest.
The cabinet reshuffle, he added, also enhanced the rate of implementation of PL's electoral pledges.
Answering questions about his choice for Planning Minister, Abela said Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri was "the most logical of choices".
"Camilleri is one of the main people behind the regional development strategy for Gozo for the coming decade... Camilleri is convinced of the importance of rural sites, ensuring that ODZ remains ODZ and the preservation of characteristics unique to each village," Abela said, adding he wanted the vision for Gozo to be implemented for the rest of the country.
Camilleri, he added, prioritised aesthetics, sustainable development, and intelligent planning.
'President should be progressive'
Discussing the choice of Malta's next President of the Republic, Abela said the person who next holds that office "should be progressive and not conservative, and one who can bring about national unity".
Last week, PN leader Bernard Grech told Times of Malta talks between the Government and the Opposition on the nomination of a new president have not yet started.
President George Vella's five-year term ends on April 1 and cannot be renewed. The government, can, however, nominate an acting president until agreement is reached on a successor.
'Metsola reminds me of Busuttil'
In comments about the upcoming EU parliament elections, Abela took a dig at current president Roberta Metsola at least twice.
He noted that when Metsola was elected to preside over parliament - despite his many reservations, including her behaviour when faced with the recent Gaza situation - he had chosen the national interest over partisan politics.
Later in the interview, he told Balzan that Metsola reminded him of former PN leader Simon Busuttil: "When I look at her, I see Simon Busuttil".