The National Council for the Maltese Language has filed a judicial protest against Culture Minister Owen Bonnici, for publishing a Legal Notice under the name "Regulations Establishing the Centre for Maltese Language" without seeking consultation "required by law", also arguing that there was no prior consultation on Norma Saliba's appointment as Chief Executive for the Centre.

The Council said that that it was not formally informed with what the Minister had prepared, and at no point was it presented with the bill for the Legal Notice so that the Council could give its opinions and advice on it.

"The Minister did not bother to call a meeting with the Council's members to discuss the establishment of the Centre for the Maltese Language. Its establishment was presented as a fact, and a unilateral imposition of the Minister," the Council said.

It was only after the Legal Notice was issued that members of the Council became aware through media reports of the appointment of former PBS head of news Norma Saliba as the first Chief Executive of the new centre which had just been founded, the Council said.

"This appointment was made without issuing a public call for applications, without a selection process to ensure the person's qualifications and suitability and was selected without consultation with the Council as required by law," it continued.

The Council continued that Bonnici did not give it the opportunity to be informed, nor to be consulted, about who was going to run its administrative, organisational, and operational organ.

"The Minister's actions are in violation of Article 24 of the Maltese Law which requires that a Minister does not make any regulations with regards to any function of the Maltese Council before consultation with the Council has taken place," it said.

According to the Council, the procedure adopted by Bonnici in issuing the Legal Notice on the Centre, as well as the appointment of Saliba, was vitiated and irregular, as well as against the law.

"Therefore, the Council is insisting that the Minister withdraws the Legal Notice and Saliba's appointment. During the last weeks, there have been informal contacts between the Minister and the Council, in which the Council tried to convince the Minister about this irregularity, but he continued to insist that he is not ready to withdraw either," the Council said.

It said that in the judicial protest, the Council is warning the Minister that if he does not reverse this 'illegality' within ten days from today (Thursday), the Maltese Council will proceed against him in Court.

The protest was signed by Lawyer Claire Bonello.

Seperately, earlier in the week Maltese language expert Mark Amaira filed a judicial protest over the appointment of Norma Saliba as the head of the new centre for the language.