I could not confirm this with anyone, but a senior figure in the justice system informed me that the decision by the Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti to bar photos at the Inaugural Session of the Forensic Year, was to protect the judiciary from Labour’s press and its associates.
Various Labour Party figures, including the official Labour Party media station ONE, used photographs of both prosecutors and members of the judiciary in their published attacks them. A common criticism made by Labour, and by the Prime Minister himself, was that the inquiring magistrate spent too much public money on the Vitals and Steward investigation.
In his inaugural speech, the Chief Justice defended the Judiciary’s expenses in conducting inquiries, which I find excessively compromising. He shouldn’t be offering reasons or explanations to the Prime Minister. Instead, he should simply tell him it’s none of his business and to focus on his own responsibilities, rather than interfering in judicial or investigative matters. It’s not as if the Judiciary is incompetent and needs Robert Abela to advise them on what’s expensive or appropriate, especially when the Prime Minister has the record distinction of increasing public debt by over 100%.
You can read the full speech by the Chief Justice here.
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