Justice Minister says Repubblika’s letter to EU Court was ‘misguided and convoluted’
Justice Minister, Jonathan Attard, has published a letter he sent to the EU Court’s registrar in reply to Repubblika’s letter to the same Court, saying that the NGO’s letter to demand that the court turns down the nomination of former Justice Minister, Edward Zammit Lewis, to the post of Judge of the General Court was ‘misguided and convoluted’.
Repubblika’s letter, signed by president Vicki Cremona, told the Article 255 panel that Zammit Lewis’s appointment to the European Court of Justice would tarnish the Court’s reputation and compromise its responsibility to be perceived as a protector to the rule of law, as it cited WhatsApp messages he had exchanged with Yorgen Fenech, who stands accused of being a mastermind behind the assassination of journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Attard wrote a letter on Tuesday, and referred to Repubblika’s letter penned by Cremona, which claimed that there has been no selection process in respect of the nomination of the candidate for the post of Judge.
“I would like to bring to your attention the publication in the Government Gazzette no. 21,235 of 30 April 2024 (Document A), with regards to the post, and thus which confirms that this claim is unfounded”, Attard wrote.
He said that the process of selecting a candidate for Judge of the General Court is still ongoing on national level, and viva voce interviews of the candidates are planned for the coming weeks.
Attard said that “it is regrettable, that whilst the letter purports to defend the rule of law, its thinly veiled purpose emerges clearly as being that of conducting a personal attack intended to undermine a possible Maltese candidacy for the post of Judge of the General Court.”
Whilst not entering into the merits of the content of the letter, Attard said that he would merely restrict himself to registering his objection to the “misguided and convoluted” letter, being considered as objective information from an independent source.
“I trust that both the domestic panel and the Article 255 Panel will treat all candidates, whether the person mentioned in the letter, or any other, fairly”, Attard wrote.
Attard also asked for the Government to be kept informed about any action which may be proposed to be taken upon Repubblika’s letter, and being allowed to make submissions before any decision is taken.