Justice Minister Owen Bonnici has strongly denied claims that PL lawyer Pawlu Lia is to be the next chief justice, replacing Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri in the near future, before his term expires.

Dr Bonnici said the rumours are “a complete lie”.

Speaking to this newsroom on Friday, Dr Bonnici said that such rumours do more harm than good to those involved.

He said that Chief Justice Camilleri’s term has not ended, nor is it close to ending. When asked if the government intends sending Chief Justice Camilleri to serve at the European Court, Dr Bonnici replied: “First, there has to be a vacancy for this to happen.”

When contacted earlier this week, Dr Lia squashed such rumours, saying: “I will die a lawyer despite the hurdles one faces in this particular practice”.

Silvio Camilleri was sworn in as Chief Justice in 2010, succeeding Vincent De Gaetano who moved to Strasbourg as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights.

This newsroom is informed that Chief Justice Camilleri is not attending any official events.

 

Vacancy in judiciary

Following the demise of Judge Gino Camilleri, a vacancy has arisen in the judiciary. Recently, Wenzu Mintoff was appointed as a member of the judiciary, replacing retired Judge Lino Farrugia Sacco, while Magistrate Edwina Grima also became Judge, replacing retired Judge Lawrence Quintano.

Speaking to this newsroom, Dr Bonnici said that he would be appointing another judge but stopped short of saying when.