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 jagħmel lil xi ħadd mil-lista ta’ Newsbook, ikun qiegħed jidher li qed joqgħod għal dak li jiddettawlu tal-Oppożizzjoni. Qalli jekk jagħmel li xi wieħed minn dawk proposti mill-Oppożizzjoni jonqoslu l-appoġġ mad-‘diehards’ tiegħu, u jikber fl-istatura Alex Borg. Għidtlu li assolutament ma naqbilx miegħu li kariga importanti ta’ Prim Imħallef tibqa’ mdendla minħabba konsiderazzjonijiet partiġġjani, u li ma tiġix deċiża fuq il-mertu tal-persuni u ta’ x’inhu l-aħjar fl-interess tal-pajjiż. Għidtlu li huwa żbaljat wkoll fil-kalkoli partiġġjani tiegħu, li d-diehards tiegħu ser isibu xi problema bijja, għaliex ismi jgawdi l-appoġġ tal-Oppożizzjoni. Ghidtlu li wara kollox biex isir il-Prim Imħallef ġdid huwa meħtieġ l-appoġġ taż-żewġ naħat tal-Kamra, u jekk jintlaħaq qbil fuq xi ħadd, il-mertu jkun taż-żewġ naħat, u mhux ta’ xi naħa jew oħra. Qalli li anki f’pajjiżi barranin jidħlu konsiderazzjonijiet partiġġjani f’dawn 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
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