The Prime Minister and six other high profile individuals involved in the Panama appeals have joined the Attorney General who until now was the defendant in the constitutional suit filed by Simon Busuttil calling for Mr Justice Antonio Mizzi to refrain from hearing the case.

The First Hall of the Civil Court, presided over by Mr Justice Joseph Zammit McKeon, today upheld a request by the Attorney General, meaning that PM Joseph Muscat, his chief of staff Keith Schembri and Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, together with businessmen Brian Tonna, Karl Cini, Malcolm Scerri and Adrian Hillman, will now join the suit with the Attorney General.

This case started in July when the former PN Leader had called upon a Magistrates’ Court to launch an investigation into the revelations emerging from the Panama Papers.

Magistrate Ian Farrugia had decreed that the prerequisites for an inquiry had been met. The seven individuals involved had filed separate appeals calling for Magistrate Farrugia’s decree to be revoked.

Their appeals were assigned to Mr Justice Antonio Mizzi, which Dr Busuttil challenged on the grounds that the judge’s wife, Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi, had expressed her views on the Panama Papers scandal.

Mr Justice Mizzi ruled that he would continue with the case, prompting Busuttil to file a separate constitutional case claiming a violation of his right to a fair hearing and requesting that the appeals be assigned to a different member of the judiciary.

The case continues in January.