Former Labour Party deputy leader Toni Abela will be named a judge on Monday, the government said in a statement. The ceremony will also see Dr Grazio Mercieca be appointed magistrate.
Dr Abela has for a long time served as Labour Party lawyer, apart from the political office he held. Earlier this year, his nomination to the European Court of Auditors was refused by the European Parliament.
The government said that the two appointments are the first to be made via a committee on judicial appointments made up of the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, the Ombudsman, the Auditor General and the president of the Chamber of Advocates.
Dr Toni Abela graduated as a notary in 1983 and as a lawyer a year later. He was a member of the Employment Commission between 1996 and 1988. The government statement says that Dr Abela had a “long career” in the Labour Party, as well as earlier being a founder of the Alternattiva Demokratika. He is married to Marisa Abela and has three children, Estelle, Fleur and Aaron.
The other co-founder of AD, Wenzu Mintoff, was also appointed judge in this legislature. Both Dr Abela and Dr Mintoff had broken ranks with the Labour Party after the 1987 election, only to return in later years.
Dr Mercieca graduated as a lawyer in 1982. He has served as a commissioner for justice, in the small claims tribunal and as an arbiter specialised in traffic accidents. He is married to Maria and they have three children, Deborah, Caroline and Anton.