Speaker Anglu Farrugia has published legal advice rebutting claims that he exceeded his powers when he ruled that Standards Czar George Hyzler should not have investigated the 2019 lock-up of journalists at Castille.

The Speaker ruled last week that Hyzler had gone beyond his legal remit when he investigated the complaint, since this matter was subject to criminal proceedings.

But Hyzler said that it was the Speaker who exceeded his powers when he delivered his ruling.

On Friday, Farrugia published legal advice he had sought, which stated that the ruling was based on a proper and correct understanding of the law. 

The advice, by lawyer Ian Refalo, takes a swipe at the Standards Commissioner for publicly questioning the validity of the Speaker’s ruling. He said that such a stance only demeans the impartiality of both the office holder and the Speaker, making them parties to partisan politics. 

In the meantime, PN MPs Karol Aquilina and Therese Comodini Cachia wrote to the Speaker requesting an urgent meeting of the ethics committee to resume the debate on Hyzler’s report.

Such a debate is more important after the letter Hyzler sent to the Speaker, they said, proposing that the meeting be held on Tuesday at 4.30pm. They said they expect the Labour MPs on the committee to cooperate so that the debate can take place.