The most serious accusation that Judge Lawrence Mintoff levelled against the Prime Minister was written more like a confession than an accusation. The Judge admitted that the Prime Minister has been in contact with him over the process of the nomination of the Chief Justice, showing quite clearly that the Prime Minister has no qualms about speaking to members of the Judiciary.
The letter published by the Times of Malta reads:
“Qalli li jekk jagฤงmel lil xi ฤงadd mil-lista taโ Newsbook, ikun qiegฤงed jidher li qed joqgฤงod gฤงal dak li jiddettawlu tal-Oppoลผizzjoni. Qalli jekk jagฤงmel li xi wieฤงed minn dawk proposti mill-Oppoลผizzjoni jonqoslu l-appoฤกฤก mad-โdiehardsโ tiegฤงu, u jikber fl-istatura Alex Borg. Gฤงidtlu li assolutament ma naqbilx miegฤงu li kariga importanti taโ Prim Imฤงallef tibqaโ mdendla minฤงabba konsiderazzjonijiet partiฤกฤกjani, u li ma tiฤกix deฤiลผa fuq il-mertu tal-persuni u taโ xโinhu l-aฤงjar fl-interess tal-pajjiลผ. Gฤงidtlu li huwa ลผbaljat wkoll fil-kalkoli partiฤกฤกjani tiegฤงu, li d-diehards tiegฤงu ser isibu xi problema bijja, gฤงaliex ismi jgawdi l-appoฤกฤก tal-Oppoลผizzjoni. Ghidtlu li wara kollox biex isir il-Prim Imฤงallef ฤกdid huwa meฤงtieฤก l-appoฤกฤก taลผ-ลผewฤก naฤงat tal-Kamra, u jekk jintlaฤงaq qbil fuq xi ฤงadd, il-mertu jkun taลผ-ลผewฤก naฤงat, u mhux taโ xi naฤงa jew oฤงra. Qalli li anki fโpajjiลผi barranin jidฤงlu konsiderazzjonijiet partiฤกฤกjani fโdawn l-affarijiet.”
The Prime Minister has also had direct contact with Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech. He also pressured the Opposition and the general public to accept his preferred nominee for Chief Justice, effectively proposing to turn Malta into his own personal dictatorship.
The Prime Minister is meddling with the Judiciary and is in gross violation of the Constitution of the Republic (Chapter VIII sections 94-100). The Prime Minister is blatantly and openly breaching democratic norms and acting like a dictator with the Justice system. After having captured the Police and the Attorney-General, the Prime Minister has politicised the Judiciary and is claiming control over it on the grounds of his electoral and parliamentary majority – this is basically populism and authoritarianism in an illiberal democracy and we are transitioning into a dictatorship.
I think Judge Lawrence Mintoff knew very well that he was going to burn his chances of becoming Chief Justice with that letter – he is not stupid – he is one of the most erudite individuals in the country. Judge Mintoff saw the gravity of the situation and sacrificed himself in order to challenge and check the Prime Minister over his blatant takeover of the Maltese State.
If the President of Malta is serious in fulfilling her role in defending the Constitution, she should immediately call a Magisterial Inquiry over the Prime Minister’s alleged discussions with the Judiciary: to protect and defend the integrity of the Constitution is one of her actual functions which she can exercise freely. So far, she has taken the backseat and watched the backsliding of democracy comfortably from her palace without even making a decent statement in defence of the Constitution.
Website Editor
Historian and Publisher
Leave a Reply