Former Labour deputy leader Toni Abela appointed judge
Labour cabinet approves Toni Abela and Grazio Mercieca’s nominations to the judiciary
Grazio Mercieca (L) and Toni Abela
The Cabinet has approved the nomination of former Labour deputy leader Toni Abela as judge in the superior courts whilst lawyer Grazio Mercieca has been appointed magistrate.
The appointments were announced by the government, which described the two nominations as “being the first in history to be carried out in full transparency and scrutiny”.
“These are the first two lawyers to join the members of the judiciary after successfully undergoing the scrutiny of the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, the Ombudsman, the Auditor General and the president of the Chamber of Advocates,” the government pointed out.
Abela and Mercieca recently received the green light of the Judicial Appointments Committee.
Abela, who up until the beginning of the year was the Labour Party’s deputy leader for party affairs, submitted his nomination to the judiciary after he failed to secure the approval of the European Parliamentary committee in his nomination for the European Court of Auditors.
Abela, who was one of the founders of Alternattiva Demokratika, also served as legal counsel to MediaToday. He graduated as a lawyer in 1984 and has since practiced in Maltese courts.
Mercieca, a University lecturer and Gozitan lawyer, also served as Justice Commissioner.
