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
“I chose the road of responsibility,” Robert Abela commented about the mess he created over the chief justice appointment. Now we know, thanks to Judge Lawrence Mintoff’s incendiary letter , that Abela had no intention of appointing a new chief justice until after the general election. We know that Abela abusively turned the process into a game of
“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
It is often said that the largest room in the world is the room for improvement. No matter how much effort we put into finding solutions, there will always be limitations which reveal our imperfections. The current deadlock in the selection of Malta’s next chief justice clearly exemplifies this. In 2020, Malta sought to reform its process for the appointment
Robert Abela has said he is in no rush to appoint a new chief justice after the Opposition refused the government’s second nominee for the top judicial role. “The constitutional mechanism accounts for our courts to continue functioning efficiently and in a tranquil manner, so that the people are served by our courts." “While we have that peace of mind,
The Minister for Justice, Jonathan Attard, said Friday that the Opposition has shot down the government's second proposed Chief Justice nominee, Judge Myriam Hayman. This update was given to the government's representatives in the latest cross-party meeting earlier on Friday to choose who should be Malta's next Chief Justice. Unlike the government's
The Nationalist Party declined to say whether it still believes Judge Wenzu Mintoff should be appointed Malta’s next chief justice, citing “confidentiality reasons.” The PN had proposed Mintoff for the post on 21st February. However, Times of Malta reported that it was informed that while the nomination was submitted on that date, the letter was backdated
The Opposition has refused to back the government’s nominee for Chief Justice, Myriam Hayman, Justice Minister Jonathan Attard said on Friday. Hayman was the second name put forward by the government after the Opposition voted down Prime Minister Robert Abela ’s initial nominee, Consuelo Scerri Herrera. Speaking to journalists after meeting PN shadow
The PN has refused the government's nominee for chief justice, Myriam Hayman, Justice Minister Jonathan Attard said on Friday. Hayman was the second government nominee for the role after the Opposition voted down Prime Minister Robert Abela's first choice, Consuelo Scerri Herrera. On Friday afternoon, Attard told journalists he had met shadow justice
The PN on Friday would not say whether the party still believed Judge Lawrence (Wenzu) Mintoff should be Malta's next chief justice, citing "confidentiality reasons". The Nationalist Party proposed Mintoff for the post of chief justice on February 21 . Times of Malta is informed that although the PN submitted its nomination for Mintoff on February
