Magistrate’s refusal to deny involvement in freemasonry ‘unacceptable’ – Fenech Adami

The government should have first presented an impeachment motion against Magistrate Carol Peralta, before asking the Commission for the Administration of Justice (CAJ) to investigate him, Nationalist MP Beppe Fenech Adami said in parliament.

Two months ago, the government asked the CAJ to investigate Magistrate Carol Peralta after the latter held Christmas drinks in his courtroom and arrested a Times of Malta reporter for three hours for taking snapshots of the 'irregular' party.

The government will decide on whether to present an impeachment motion according to the CAJ's findings, but presenting an impeachment motion would require government to file this request with the CAJ again which then has to hold an official investigation on the motion itself.

"Government should have first filed the impeachment motion. We all know what happens now... the CAJ may take a year to finish its investigation, then government presents the motion, then we go back to the CAJ and everyone gets out scot-free," Fenech Adami said.

The CAJ's investigation into judge Lino Farrugia Sacco's impeachment motion took over a year, only for the government present a new motion after it was declared invalid following Lawrence Gonzi's resignation.

Fenech Adami said it was deplorable that Farrugia Sacco also chose to sit on the International Committee of Mediterranean Games, after all that had happened following his obstinate involvement with the Malta Olympic Committee in breach of the judiciary's code of ethics.

Turning his attention to Peralta's case, Fenech Adami said it was scandalous that the magistrate deemed concerns raised by both government and the opposition into his behaviour as "insignificant".

"Peralta's actions were totally unacceptable and only served to undermine the public's trust in the judiciary and its members. In front of the protests raised by the public, the magistrate remained defiant, only to describe our statements as insignificant. What the Opposition said and what the Prime Minister said were insignificant for him," he said.

The Nationalist MP also took Peralta to task over his refusal to deny any involvement in freemasonry.

Asked by MaltaToday whether he was still a freemason, Peralta had refused to answer, simply saying it was not illegal, and that ample court judgements existed saying that there was no conflict between him being a freemason and a member of the judiciary.

"The fact alone that he refused to deny any involvement is serious. It is unacceptable that any individual occupying a public role is a member of a secret society," he said.

Fenech Adami went on to question what was government's position vis-à-vis individuals who formed part of a secret society: "It is government's role to ensure that no one holding a public post is a freemason. It is wrong and immoral, a society that only serves the interests of its members."