Labour MP Charles Mangion this morning defended the appointment of former Labour MP and activist Wenzu Mintoff as a judge. The appointment will be made today.

Speaking in Parliament this morning, Dr Mangion congratulated Dr Mintoff for his accession to the Bench.

The media has already attacked him, he said, and even though they have the right to criticisem, observations should be made on his work and not on his political opinions.

“God forbid if you have an opinion which stops you gaining such a position,” he said.

Dr Mintoff is a former Labour MP and party president, known for his strong attacks against Nationalist administration and officials.

The biography provided by the DOI following his appointment as judge however omitted any references to his political career, which included his switch from Labour to form Alternattiva Demokratika and back to Labour. The only mention is for his leading AD for a number of years.