Retired Judge Toni Abela is expected to become the inaugural Commissioner for Standards in the Judiciary, a position established earlier this year, MaltaToday reports. The appointment, understood to have been accepted by Abela, is being made by the Commission for the Administration of Justice, the constitutional authority responsible for judicial oversight.
Abela concluded his judicial service last June upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 68. His judicial tenure spanned nine years following his appointment to the bench in 2016. Prior to his appointment as judge, Abela had a long legal and political career.
He graduated in law in 1984 and, after a period of disagreement with the Labour Party where he once served as president, became one of the founding members of Alternattiva Demokratika. He subsequently rejoined the Labour Party and was appointed its deputy leader for party affairs in 2008. He stepped down from that role in 2016 when nominated for a position at the European Court of Auditors, a nomination that did not succeed, after which he was appointed to the judiciary.
Despite his political background, Abela was regarded positively within legal circles, with several of his judgments described as significant decisions within Maltese jurisprudence.
The role of Standards Commissioner for the Judiciary was introduced as part of a broader package of constitutional reforms proposed by the government earlier in the year. While some reforms requiring a two-thirds parliamentary majority were not enacted, including the proposed increase in the judiciary's retirement age, measures requiring a simple majority were approved, among them the creation of this new oversight position.
The commissioner, appointed for a three-year term, may be a retired member of the judiciary or a non-practising lawyer. The office is intended to function as an ethical supervisory body for the judiciary. Unlike existing arrangements, the commissioner will be able to receive reports and complaints directly from members of the public, in addition to submissions from the Chief Justice or the Minister for Justice.