Carmelo Abela, Edward Zammit Lewis and Michael Farrugia left out of cabinet

Updated 4.30pm with response from Zammit Lewis
Former ministers Edward Zammit Lewis, Carmelo Abela and Michael Farrugia have been left out of Robert Abela's new cabinet, becoming the three biggest omissions from Malta's new executive branch. 
The trio join former parliamentary secretaries Chris Agius, Alex Muscat and Deo Debattista, who also missed out on a reappointment. 
Former ministers Evarist Bartolo and Jose Herrera are also missing from cabinet after failed to be reelected and said they would be resigning from political life.
Abela's ministers and parliamentary secretaries are set to be sworn in on Wednesday afternoon. 

Zammit Lewis served as justice minister up until parliament was dissolved in February, despite repeated calls for him to be removed after his closeness to Yorgen Fenech, the businessman accused of masterminding the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder, was exposed. 
The former minister had also come under fire for disparagingly describing Labour voters as ‘Ġaħan’ [a village idiot] in a Whatsapp conversation with Fenech.
He told Times of Malta that he respected Robert Abela's decision to omit him from his cabinet.
"I will keep on serving the Labour Party and my...