Government has decided to formally exclude a judge and a magistrate, both of whom are accused of breaching the judicial code of ethics by the Commission for the Administration of Justice, from all official functions with immediate effect.
This follows the two judiciary members’ insistence on defying calls for them to resign their respective positions on local sports councils, on the grounds of a possible conflict of interest.
The decision will come into force this Thursday 13 December, when Mr Justice Carmelo Farrugia Sacco and Magistrate Antonio Mizzi will be omitted from the official list of invitees to all functions commemorating Republic Day.
This ostracism of Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco and Magistrate Mizzi marks a clear attempt on the part of the administration to humiliate the two members of the judiciary, who have so far remained steadfast in their determination to hold onto their committee posts with the Malta Olympic Committee (MOC) and the Malta Basketball Association in open defiance of the justice commission’s rulings.
MaltaToday can reveal that the decision to sideline the judge and the magistrate has been taken at the highest government levels, just in the wake of the two men’s declarations indicating that they have actually hardened their stand against the commission’s position.
The government’s decision was taken in line with the commission’s correspondence with Justice Minister Tonio Borg earlier this year, which insisted that government should in no way undermine its orders to the judiciary members.