Farrugia Sacco defying CAJ by involvement in Mediterranean Games committee

Barely a month after the Commission for the Administration of Justice (CAJ) found Judge Lino Farrugia Sacco guilty of misbehaviour, Farrugia Sacco is defying the CAJ as he is "involved in the running of the International Committee for the Mediterranean Games, the Sunday Times of Malta reports.

The report claimed that Farrugia Sacco "contested and was elected to the executive committee of the IGMG until 2017," and that this was later confirmed by two officials within the Malta Olympic Committee (MOC) who said the judge had contested the ICMG election last June "under his own steam" and not as Malta's representative.

Moreover, it reported that Farrugia Sacco also occupies the post of the president of the disciplinary anti-doping commission within the same organisation.

Last month, the CAJ, which regulates the judiciary, proved an impeachment motion filed by prime minister Lawrence Gonzi against Farrugia Sacco.

In its decision, the judiciary watchdog said the judge had acted incorrectly in retaining his post as president of the Malta Olympic Committee, even though he was informed that he was breaching the code of ethics and later asked to resign.

This code of ethics prohibits members of the judiciary from "holding any office or post even though of a temporary, voluntary or honorary nature and may not perform any activity, which in the opinion of the commission may compromise or prejudice their position or their duties or functions."

In its decision to approve the judge's impeachment motion, the Commission took note of the fact that as MOC President, in 2012 Farrugia Sacco held a meeting with two undercover reporters from the Sunday Times of London posing as ticket resellers, during which a method of bypassing Winter Olympic ticket resale rules was discussed.

The CAJ subsequently concluded there was evidence of misbehaviour and recommended that parliament continue hearing the motion on his dismissal.

However, following legal advice, the Speaker of the House Anglu Farrugia, ruled this impeachment motion was ruled "dead".

In his ruling, the Speaker argued that the fact that the member of parliament who presented the impeachment motion - Lawrence Gonzi- was no longer a member of parliament "broke the link" between the motion and the MP who presented it and moreover, prior to the dissolution of the-then PN government in 2012, the impeachment motion was never discussed in parliament.