PL MP Katya De Giovanni on Friday filed a court application against the University of Malta, arguing that a decision by the Board of Promotions not to recommend her for the position of Associate Professor was 'discriminatory'.

This follows up a judicial protest the Labour MP had filed in February, to which the University did not reply in court. The University however had issued a statement saying that De Giovanni's application for promotion had been treated in the same manner as that of other academics, "and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the relevant collective agreement."

In her court application Friday, De Giovanni said that she felt aggrieved by the “arbitrary and unjust” decision taken by the university in her regard. She said that she had not been given a reason as to why she had not been promoted to associate professor.

She pointed out that her application had taken an unacceptable and unreasonable amount of time, having last more than two and a half years before the decision was taken.

She said that the board ignored the fact that she was a visiting professor at the University of Padova and has a fellowship in the British Psychological Society.

In the application, signed by Lawyer Edward Zammit Lewis, De Giovanni is requesting that the University reverses its decision and gives her the title of associate professor.