PN accuses Justice Minister of lying to defend judicial appointments

The Nationalist Party accused Justice Minister Owen Bonnici of lying when he said that he plans to implement a judicial reform proposal.

The commission for the holistic reform of the justice system, headed by former European Court of Human rights judge Giovanni Bonello, have disagreed with the way judges are appointed in Malta, lamenting the lack of transparency in the selection process and having no fixed criteria in determining who is the person most fit for the post. 

The Commission had called for judicial nominations to be made by an autonomous board, with the government maintaining the final word.

Last week, the government appointed two former Labour officials- Joe Mifsud and Monica Vella- as magistrates, prompting criticism from the Chamber of Advocates that the government has ignored the Bonello Commission’s advice on judicial nominations.

In response, Bonnici said that the government is using Bonello’s advice to work on a Bill to reform the judicial system and that the government cannot just pick and choose what changes to implement suddenly.

“Bonnici has chosen to shelve the Bonello report and handpick the people he wants to the judiciary,” shadow justice minister Jason Azzopardi said in a statement. “Bonnici has already been quoted as saying that he has already begun implementing the Bonello report’s recommendations- both in Parliament and in interviews to the media.

“Bonnici’s latest comments have shed doubt over whether the government truly wants to successfully reform the judicial system.”