Caruana Galizia inquiry magistrate touted for judge in new additions

The magistrate leading the inquiry in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia is being touted for the role of judge.

Four new judges are expected to be appointed in the coming days, in a bid to strengthen the judiciary.

One of the posts is expected to be filled by Magistrate Anthony Vella, a move that would create a vacancy for the inquiring magistrate in the Caruana Galizia murder case.

The new set of appointments will see a new judge for Gozo, as well as another judge for the family court.

Since the appointment of Joseph Azzopardi as Chief Justice after the retirement of Silvio Camilleri, a new judge will be appointed to deal with backlogs of judgements from civil claims.

Another judge will be assigned to criminal law cases.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera is another name now touted to be a probable candidate for one of the posts.

Recently, Scerri Herrera was elected by her peers in the Court of Magistrates to take one of the two magistrates’ posts in the same Commission for the Administration of Justice. The other elected magistrate to the Commission was Doreen Clarke. Judges Tonio Mallia and Noel Cuschieri were themselves elected by their own peers to sit on the Commission.

When recently the judicial appointments commission cleared Consuelo Scerri Herrera for promotion, she was kept behind, ostensibly because senior judges felt it was not yet time for the appointment. But a government source had told this newspaper that her promotion would happen once Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri retires.

Since 2013, the Labour government has appointed nine magistrates, two judges, and promoted four magistrates to the judiciary.