The government, according to well-informed sources speaking with this newspaper, is in the midst of pushing through two promotions in the judiciary before its own reform of the justice sector, spearheaded by Judge Giovanni Bonello, sees the light of day.

The two appointments concern individuals very close to the Labour administration: Magistrate Antonio Mizzi, the husband of Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi, who is said to be on the verge of being promoted to judge, and lawyer Charmaine Galea, who is expected to be appointed magistrate and who currently works with Deputy Leader Toni Abela.

Moreover, legal sources say the proposal to nominate them had been made at the very first Cabinet meeting of the new government, on 13 March.

They add that the new appointments are expected to be made before the review of the country’s judicial sector by Judge Bonello is completed, since the new parameters being contemplated by the review would revise the ways in which lawyers are promoted to the bench and that the appointments would become more difficult to push through by the government under the new rules being drawn up.

Judge Bonello was appointed by the government at the end of March to head the justice reform commission. The commission will make recommendations for sweeping reforms of the system within three months. The commission is to submit its review by the end of June, which will be followed by a three-month public consultation.

The measures contemplated by the reform are to come into place by the end of the year.