Opposition turning judge’s impeachment into political football – Bonnici

Parliamentary secretary for justice Owen Bonnici has called on the Opposition to stop turning the impeachment of Judge Lino Farrugia Sacco into "political football".

The Speaker yesterday ruled that a new impeachment motion had to be filed as the original one was now "dead". The Opposition accused the government of filibustering in order to give time to Farrugia Sacco reach his retirement age - in seven months.

But in a statement, Bonnici said government has repeatedly said that laws regulating the procedure and operations of the Commission for the Administration of Justice have to be changed.

For the changes to be effective, one requires the approval of two thirds of the House. The government and opposition have been engaged in talks to reach agreement over the amendments. Bonnici described the talks as positive.

"But until these changes are carried out, one has to obey the current parliamentary laws which at the end of the day were interpreted by the Speaker and not by the government," Bonnici said.

The Speaker followed up on the advice of parliamentary lawyer Ian Refalo.

"It is obvious that if these laws are not adhered to today, unfortunate as they are, one would be exposing parliament to a potential breach of fundamental human right, with the possibility of the case ending up before the European Court," Bonnici said.