The Commission for the Administration of Justice informed the Speaker of the House of Representatives that the decision it had taken in the impeachment motion against Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco in 2012 still applied to the impeachment motion presented by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat last week.

In this light, the Opposition issued a statement saying that the motion should be be brought before Parliament as soon as possible.

Last week Dr Anglu Farrugia had ruled that the 2012 motion presented by then Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was no longer valid since the legislature had ended and Dr Gonzi was no longer a member of the House.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had presented a new motion but the Opposition had protested that this would mean a repeat of the whole process. The judge is due to retire in August and the process would not be completed by then, the Opposition argued.

In its original report, now reconfirmed, the Commission said that there was a prima facie case of misbehaviour in the judge having stayed on as president of the Malta Olympic Committee and having attracted disrespect for the judiciary as a whole even though he had been previously urged by the Commission itself to step down.

Today's letter by the Justice Commission was signed by President George Abela.

Deputy Opposition Leader Mario de Marco asked if the matter would now proceed quickly in the House.

The Speaker said the issue would be discussed at a meeting of the House Business Committee.

In a statement, the Nationalist Party said in a statement it expected the motion to be brought before Parliament in the shortest time possible and for the government not to continue to create obstacles.