Abela says he will push Scerri Herrera nomination as Chief Justice without Opposition backing

Prime Minister Robert Abela said Tuesday the government will move ahead with the nomination of Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera as chief justice “in the very near future” if Opposition leader Alex Borg does not clearly state whether he agrees with the choice.

In a statement soon afterwards, the Labour Party said that Abela had presented a motion to Parliament in this respect. The PL said Abela had consulted with the Opposition Leader on the matter, and more than one meeting had been held to discuss the proposal.

Speaking to journalists, Abela said he is still waiting for a definitive yes or no from Borg, three weeks after first proposing Scerri Herrera for the post. Following recent constitutional amendments, the appointment of Malta’s chief justice requires a two-thirds majority in parliament, meaning agreement between government and opposition is necessary in practice.

“I still do not have a clear answer about the government’s nominee,” Abela said, adding that the opposition leader “cannot continue sitting on the fence”. If Borg agrees, Abela said the process can move forward; if not, the government is open to discussing alternative names. “But until today, he has not done the most obvious thing in negotiations, which is to say yes or no.”

Abela insisted that no valid reason has been put forward to question Scerri Herrera’s competence or credentials. He accused Borg of being constrained by internal divisions within the Nationalist Party, claiming this was why the nomination had not even been discussed within the opposition’s parliamentary group.

The prime minister’s comments followed an exchange of public letters between the two leaders. In his letter, Borg accused Abela of breaching a “gentleman’s agreement” to keep discussions on the nomination confidential, while expressing willingness to continue talks in a meeting. Abela rejected the claim that any such agreement existed and said he has no objection in principle to meeting again, but only after receiving a clear response on the government’s nominee.

“If things stay the same, the government will be moving a motion for the nomination of Justice Scerri Herrera to parliament,” Abela said. “Understand this clearly: we will be nominating her for a parliamentary vote.”

Asked about timing, Abela noted that sitting Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti retires on Wednesday, when he turns 68. Pressed on whether the motion would be tabled immediately, Abela said it would be brought forward “in the very near future”.

While the Constitution allows a chief justice to remain in office beyond retirement age until a successor is appointed, Abela said he does not want to rely on that provision, signalling urgency in filling the role.

 

 

 

RSS Feed Source: Independent Malta Abela says he will push Scerri Herrera nomination as Chief Justice without Opposition backing