PN warns changes to Interpretation Act are unconstitutional, asks minister to withdraw Bill

The Nationalist Party has called on the Justice Minister to withdraw a bill to amend the Interpretation Act, due to its unconstitutional nature, which detracts from the fundamental right to a fair hearing.

The bill is due to be discussed in parliament today at 4pm.

The party first flagged the amendment last week, citing that the government wanted to use this amendment to bypass the two-thirds majority vote issue.

The PN highlighted that the bill had been criticised by not just the opposition but also by other experts in the field, including Giovanni Bonello, a former judge of the European Court of Human Rights, Kevin Aquilina, the former dean of the Law Faculty at the University of Malta, and the Bar Association.

“In the face of all this, the Opposition insists that Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis should immediately withdraw the bill amending the Interpretation Act," the party said.

The PN said it was taking this position because it believed that the parliament should not discuss and approve laws that are "manifestly unconstitutional" and that detract from the fundamental rights that every person enjoys under the Constitution.