Martine Cassar appointed as Refugee Commissioner

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, in consultation with home affairs minister Carmelo Abela, has appointed Martine Cassar as the new Commissioner for Refugees as of 1 October 2016.

Prior to her appointment, Cassar, a lawyer specialised in international humanitarian law and human rights, headed the office of an International Organisation based in Malta for over two years and has been active in the field of migration, refugee law, and counter trafficking for over the past five years.

Cassar succeeded Mario Guido Friggieri and will be the third Maltese Refugee Commissioner, and the first woman to be fulfilling this role since this Office was set up in 2002. 

“I look forward to taking on this responsibility to further ensure a totally independent, fair, efficient and swift eligibility determination process while, at the same time, guaranteeing the best quality possible regarding the hearing, analysis and determination of applications for international protection,” Cassar said.

The Office of the Refugee Commissioner is responsible for receiving the processes and determining applications for international protection in Malta as stipulated by the Refugees Act.

It will also be providing support where necessary in the upcoming EU Presidency starting in January 2017.