It is disgraceful that the Minister for Justice chose to appear on Super One to launch an attack on a member of the judiciary who, as is her full right, applied to be appointed as Judge, the Nationalist Party said.

Yesterday, Super One reported in its news bulletin that Magistrate Gabriella Vella had applied - as is her right - in response to the call for the appointment of new Judges.

The PN, through its spokesman for justice Joe Giglio, said that in its report, the Labour Party's station sought to disparage Magistrate Vella for having done so, arguing that she is at the centre of some controversy due to the conclusions she reached in the Vitals inquiry - conclusions based on reports prepared by the experts appointed in that same inquiry.

Immediately after this news item, Labour's television station carried an interview with Justice Minister Jonathan Attard, who declared that he hoped the Judicial Appointments Committee would not appoint people whose selection "could create controversy".

The PN said it condemned such comments, which do nothing to serve the judiciary or the justice sector, and in fact undermine the work of Malta's judges and magistrates. Furthermore, Jonathan Attard's remarks also undermine the integrity of the very process for appointing members of the judiciary and represent an attempt to influence the Judicial Appointments Committee.

Such comments should not be made by anyone, least of all by the Minister responsible for justice in our country, the PN said.

The PN said it remains firmly committed to defending the institutions of our nation, including the Courts and the members of the judiciary who serve within them, while once again reiterating its full confidence in all members of the judiciary and in the Judicial Appointments Committee.

In similar vein, NGO Repubblika said that the minister's comments are an attack on the independence of the judiciary.

The "controversy" referred to by the minister is just a Labour attack on a magistrate who carried out her duties which led to "an uncofortable truth" - that people should pay for their corrupt practices.

The independence of the judiciary must be protected against government interference, Repubblika said.

PN lacks credibility about appointments of the judiciary - PL

In a statement later, the Labour Party said that "on the first day of the new Shadow Minister, the Nationalist Party wants to turn the back the clock"

The Nationalist Party's statement, the PL said, is "dictated by the same NGOs which Opposition Leader Alex Borg said should have been 'at arm's length'," and  "is a classic example of how things will not change with another leader and another Shadow Minister for Justice."

"The words of national unity appear not to have reached the Shadow Minister for Justice, who continues to follow the negative and outdated narrative of the past. Instead of agreeing with Minister Jonathan Attard, who at a press conference open to all the media stressed that it is our duty to protect a sensitive selection process by keeping it away from controversy and politicisation, the Nationalist Party tries to influence that same choice and politicise this process. Ironically, the Nationalist Party media chose not to attend," the PL said.

It said that in comments to the media, Minister Attard said: "I will not comment on the application of a particular candidate for the appointment of a member of the judiciary, I say what I expect as Minister for Justice, that those who have the function, now the Judicial Appointments Committee, will assume their function. This committee ensures as much as possible that the process is free from any public controversy and to ensure any public controversy, needs to avoid in one way or another appointing persons who were at the centre or are still at the centre of certain controversies."

The PL said that the PN, "which in the past used to appoint relatives and friends as judges without any scrutiny, has no credibility in speaking about the process of appointing members of the Judiciary, with the European Court of Human Rights describing the Court at the time of a Nationalist Government as an 'an unacceptable blissful all-in-the-family Jamboree'."

Today, the appointment of judges is held through a public call, scrutinised by an independent Committee, and a final decision is taken by the President of Malta, the PL said. "Politicians should not and should never interfere in this process. The political maturity promised by the PN Leader ended after the first setback, and control was again taken by the same extremists who have long been dictating the Nationalist Party's narrative."