Judge Joseph Azzopardi is expected to be the next Chief Justice following the retirement of the present Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri from the bench this month, The Malta Independent is informed. He will be the 21st Chief Justice to be appointed.
Sources told this newspaper that in the coming days, the announcement of Judge Azzopardi’s appointment will be made, with the judge having already notified those close around him of the appointment. The government has been more inclined in appointing the judge who will be 63 this month, even though he would only be in the post for two years before having to retire at 65 under the current rules.
Interviewed on INDEPTH a few weeks ago, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici had not excluded that the government would choose to appoint someone from outside the judiciary yet specified that the Judiciary had made it very clear to him that they wished the next Chief Justice to be appointed from within them, adding that he was willing to take on the wishes of the Judiciary.
A former Labour candidate and former president of the Chamber of Advocates, Judge Azzopardi was appointed Judge of the Superior Courts in 2003 under a Nationalist administration. He is currently the President of the Family Section at the Civil Courts. Having only contested for MP once and not being successful, Judge Azzopardi was never a politically controversial character or deeply involved in the political scene.
Mr Justice Azzopardi has been described as an uncontroversial character and considered, within the legal profession, to be a very honest and affable man, who has served the court with efficiency and rectitude being generally accepted from both sides of the political divide.
The choice of such appointment was formerly held to be between three senior members of the judiciary since until a few weeks ago the government was still considering the appointment of either Mr Justice Antonio Mizzi or Mr Justice Joseph Zammit McKeon.