Repubblika letter on Zammit Lewis a 'thinly veiled' personal attack, Justice Minister tells ECJ

Repubblika’s letter to the European Court of Justice over former minister Edward Zammit Lewis’ nomination is a “thinly veiled” attempt at a personal attack, government has said.

“I will not enter into the merits of the content of the letter at this stage, but I will merely restrict myself to registering my objection to this misguided and convoluted letter being considered as objective information from an independent source,” Justice Minister Jonathan Attard said in a letter.

On Tuesday, civil society group Repubblika called on the European Court of Justice to turn down the nomination of former justice minister Edward Zammit Lewis to the post of judge, citing the slew of WhatsApp messages he had exchanged with Caruana Galizia assassination mastermind Yorgen Fenech.

Repubblika president Vicki Cremona told the Article 255 panel that Zammit Lewis’s election as candidate to the European Court of Justice would tarnish the Court’s reputation and compromise its responsibility to be perceived as a bulwark to the rule of law.

Attard denied claims by Cremona that there has been no selection process in respect of the nomination of the candidate, bringing to the panel’s attention a Government Gazzetta publication on 30 April 2024, with regards to the post “and thus confirms that this claim is unfounded.”

“It is regrettable that whilst the letter purports to defend the rule of law, yet its thinly veiled purpose emerges clearly as being that of conducting a personal attack intended to undermine a possible Maltese candidacy for the post of Judge of the General Court,” the letter read.

He said the selection process is ongoing and national level, and that viva voce interviews of candidates are planned for the coming weeks.

Attard said he trusts both the domestic panel and the Article 255 Panel will treat all candidates, whether the person mentioned in the letter of any other, fairly.