I learned with regret yesterday that the previous Judge Silvio Meli had passed away. I remember the Judge fondly as an erudite, a book lover and a man who loved justice and its principles with passion and integrity. He was a very valuable asset to the Judiciary, and his type is increasingly rare.
He was very uncompromising in his sentences and often took a very strong bias in favour of the victim — something not very common in our courts. As a Judge, Silvio Meli sat through many appeals over claims against the government, most of which he adjudicated in favour of the plaintiff, and in many cases he even raised substantially the compensation sum that the government had to pay.
I remember him fondly from a personal incident when I experienced my first ever libel case in his Court, when he was still a Magistrate. I was sixteen or seventeen years old and the libel case was brought by the hunting organisation. I was freed from that case.
I also have personal stories to tell about the Judge, which would be funny to recount, although many people would hate this. The Judge once blasted into a property in Valletta with a full Police entourage, accusing its tenants of taking and selling drugs. Apparently, the Judge was prompted to make a scene by his daughter, who used to live with a tenant before she ended her relationship with him.
This story will remain told for decades to come, and although the victims in the story hate him for it, I think it just adds to his colourful life.
Rest in peace, Judge.
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