The judiciary should itself elect the Chief Justice from among its members, Momentum said Monday. Today, Robert Abela will table an anti-deadlock mechanism in appointments concerning the Chief Justice. Basically, this will mean that when government and opposition disagree on a post holder the government of the day will impose its choice. This is not
Malta is witnessing another troubling chapter in the steady erosion of its institutional credibility. The appointment of a new Chief Justice, ordinarily a sober constitutional exercise, degenerated into a partisan contest. What should have been an act of national consensus became a public spectacle, exposing the fragility of safeguards meant to protect
Repubblika has written a letter to Prime Minister Robert Abela and Opposition Leader Alex Borg, appealing for the issue to be treated as an issue of State, and not political calculation. In its letter, Repubblika expressed concern about the damage being caused to the perception of the independence of the judiciary. "The head of the judiciary should
Judge Lawrence Mintoff's letter has opened up a political crisis for the government. The letter is detailed, direct and descriptive. It sets out specific conversations and episodes, naming dates, contexts and words exchanged. The letter also tells us so much about Prime Minister Robert Abela. Things that we already knew about or suspected. How he
The Muscat administration was badly shaken after the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017 . To a big extent, that was self-inflicted, as the findings of a public inquiry clearly showed. The government, now headed by Robert Abela, is experiencing another earthquake, also volitional. Only this time, the tectonic shifts extend beyond the corridors
When Samson stood between the pillars of the Philistine temple, he believed that bringing the house down would vindicate him. He had been wronged. He felt humiliated. In that moment, he decided to pull. It is a story about what happens when grievance meets power. Malta’s current crisis is not primarily about a judge’s disappointment. It concerns how
“Do you communicate with judges via WhatsApp?” Prime Minister Robert Abela was asked by journalists after the damning revelations by sitting judge Lawrence Mintoff. Squirming uncomfortably, Abela dodged the question: “I am surprised that this question was not put to Joe Giglio.” Perhaps that’s because no sitting judge released a sworn statement declaring