State Advocate Victoria Buttigieg has been chosen to be appointed Malta's Attorney General.

She was chosen after her predecessor, Peter Grech, stepped down from the position. Peter Grech was a controversial figure, often criticised for inaction against high profile individuals.

In a statement, the government said that this is the first time that a new Attorney General is being appointed after the duties of the office were separated in two, when Buttigieg was chosen as the first State Advocate.

"The new Attorney General was chosen after a public call and was chosen by an independent appointments commission made up of three retired judges. The Prime Minister, Robert Abela, received the commission's recommendation and whilst it was accepted, he informed the President to make the appointment," a government statement read. Buttigieg will leave her post as State Advocate, which she has occupied since December 2019, to become Malta's first female Attorney General.

She is 43-years-old and graduated in law from the University of Malta in 2001. She then read for a Masters in Financial Services. She began working in the Attorney General's office in 2007 and also served as an Assistant Attorney General for a time.

In a statement on Wednesday, the President of the Republic said he had received a letter from Buttigieg in which she informed him that she will resign, with immediate effect, from the post of State Advocate to become Attorney General.