WATCH | Opposition turned down government's second chief justice nominee, justice minister says

Government and the Opposition have not agreed on the former’s second nominee for chief justice.

Justice Minister Jonathan Attard gave an update about the negotiations on Friday afternoon, where he stated that the Opposition did not agree with government’s second nominee, Judge Miriam Hayman.

Government and the Opposition must agree on who Malta’s next chief justice will be, as the role now requires a two-thirds majority in parliament. 

The saga to choose the next chief justice took a very dramatic turn this week, as Judge Lawrence Mintoff sent an explosive letter to cabinet in which he blasted the prime minister’s “real reasons” for opposing his nomination for the role. 

In his five-page letter, seen by MaltaToday, Mintoff says he was summoned for a meeting at Auberge de Castille by the prime minister on 11 February to discuss the appointment of chief justice.

On Friday, the justice minister said that Friday’s meeting was meant to ascertain the Opposition’s stance on government’s second nominee.

When asked whether he is worried that government and the Opposition won’t find a candidate they can agree upon, Attard accused the PN of turning the matter into a political spectacle. 

He further pointed to billboards set up by the PN on Thursday, where the Opposition jabbed at the prime minister for “caring more about money than the judiciary’s independence,” as was alleged by Judge Mintoff.