Magistrates Rachel Montebello and Simone Grech have been promoted to the position of Judge, while lawyers Franco Agius and Ingrid Bianco have been appointed as magistrates, the Office of the President announced on Thursday.
A public call was made for two new magistrates and two new judges on 5 August this year by the Justice Minister Jonathan Attard, with applications open up until 26 August.
The appointment of members of the judiciary is handled by an independent Committee on Judicial Appointments, which shortlists the candidates most appropriate for the position on offer for the President of Malta to ultimately choose who is appointed.
There were 17 expressions of interest for the appointment of two Judges.
The first report, submitted to the President on 10 October listed magistrates Charmaine Galea, Simone Grech, and Rachel Montebello as the most suitable to be a Judge – a shortlist from which the President chose Simone Grech.
A second report, submitted to the President ten days later, highlighted Montebello, Galea, and magistrate Gabriella Vella as most suitable to be a Judge – from whom the President chose Rachel Montebello.
Both Grech and Montebello were appointed to the judiciary in 2018.
Simone Grech was born in 1980 and became a lawyer in 2005. She served as a magistrate in the Gozo Courts.
Rachel Montebello meanwhile was born in 1975 and became a lawyer in 2000. She has presided over a number of high profile cases, including that where former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is facing charges over the Vitals hospitals case.
Magistrate Gabriella Vella, who is the current Senior Magistrate, was not chosen to be a Judge, despite having been shortlisted in the second round of candidates. She led the magisterial inquiry which resulted in charges being issued in connection with the Vitals case and has been under scrutiny from the government and Labour Party as a result.
Last month, Justice Minister Jonathan Attard told Labour Party media that the Judicial Appointments Committee, “must ensure that the process [for the appointment of new judges] is not mired in controversy, and to ensure this it must avoid appointing people that were or still are at the centre of controversies.”
His comments, which did not mention Vella by name, were aired in a news story on ONE News which said that Vella had been among those to apply to be a Judge.
Meanwhile, there were 20 expressions of interest for the appointment of two magistrates.
The first three shortlisted for the post by the Judicial Appointments Committee were Franco Agius, Ingrid Bianco, and Patrick Valentino – out of whom the President chose Franco Agius.
The second three shortlisted as most suitable and deserving of the post were Ingrid Bianco, Patrick Valentino, and Claudio Zammit – out of whom the President chose Ingrid Bianco.
Both Agius and Bianco had already been shortlisted for the post the last time new magistrates were appointed to the judiciary in April.
Agius worked at the European Court of Justice between 2005 and 2006 and has since worked at the Department of Contracts, before becoming a Court Attorney at the Law Courts in 2021.
Bianco meanwhile has worked with the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU).
The President congratulated the newly appointed Judges and Magistrates and thanked the members of the Judicial Appointments Committee for the meticulous work they have carried out.