Carol Peralta: Freemasonry, an ex-magistrate, the PAC and ‘tal-fardal’

A stormy meeting of parliament’s Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday was characterised by uncivilised exchanges between the witness, Konrad Mizzi, and Nationalist MPs.

But in the midst of the combative atmosphere there was a glimpse of past controversy surrounding one of Mizzi’s lawyers – Carol Peralta.

Peralta, a former magistrate, was outed as a member of a freemasons lodge in 1990 by the defunct Alternattiva newspaper published by Alternattiva Demokratika.

It remained unclear whether Peralta remained a freemason during his tenure as magistrate, something that would have been in breach of the code of ethics for members of the judiciary. The judiciary cannot be part of secret societies.

However, in 2015, after leaving the Bench, his name reappeared in a list of Maltese freemasons travelling to France.

In Wednesday’s PAC meeting, Peralta turned to PN MP Karol Aquilina and with a smile told him: “I did not hear your reference to ‘tal-fardal’ because I would have addressed you as brother.”

Tal-fardal is a Maltese derogatory term to refer to freemasons and 'brother' is a term used within the secret society to refer to fellow members.

Aquilina quickly rejected the suggestion. “No, no… I am against you,” Aquilina told Peralta, insisting he disagreed with secret societies like freemasons.

The quick exchange came to an end when PAC chair Beppe Fenech Adami cut through the veiled references: “I don’t think freemasonry had anything to do with this project [Electrogas].”

The brief exchange was only but a glimpse of the controversy that accompanied Peralta’s previous life as a magistrate, who averted two impeachment motions before being posted abroad at a UN war crimes tribunal in Kosovo.

Peralta returned to the Bench in Malta in 2012, only to end up in a fresh controversy a year later when he hosted Christmas drinks in his courtroom.

In a press conference called afterwards, Peralta refused to deny or confirm his continued involvement in freemasonry.

However, when he retired in 2015, Peralta’s name reappeared in a list of freemasons seen by MaltaToday.

Today, Peralta jokes about his link with freemasonry, or rather 'tal-fardal', as Aquilina quipped at the PAC.

READ ALSO: Former magistrate Carol Peralta reappears on freemasons’ list