Chief Justice Emeritus

A member of one of Malta’s most distinguished political and legal families, Mifsud Bonnici was born in Cospicua, the son of Prof. Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici (il-Gross), and Mary née Ross.

Mifsud Bonnici was educated at De La Salle College, St Joseph School, the Gozo Seminary, the Lyceum, and the RUM from where he graduated LLD in 1958. At the UM he sat on the Students’ Representative Council and was president between 1951 and 1958. He pursued post-graduate studies in the philosophy of law at the Istituto Giorgio del Vecchio, University of Rome.

Mifsud Bonnici was appointed lecturer at the RUM in 1966 and professor of the philosophy of law in 1988. That same year he was appointed judge of superior courts and, in 1990, chief justice and president of the Court of Appeal and of the Constitutional Court.  He retired in July 1995.

For a period of six years, between 1992 and 1998 he served as a Judge in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. In 1999 Mifsud Bonnici was appointed chairman of the Law Commission. Between 2001 and 2009 he has been chairman of the Press Ethics Commission.

A long-serving member of the Chamber of Advocates, Mifsud Bonnici served as its president (1978-83) and as president of the Casinò Maltese for several years.

Mifsud Bonnici was president of the MFA (1968-82), a member of the UEFA Disciplinary and Control Commission (1970-1982), as well as a regional UEFA inspector for competitions. He served on the UEFA appeals board (1982-1984) and on the appeals board of the 1982 World Cup. In 1955 he was chess champion of Malta.

In 2004 he published a book on Constitutional Procedure and has written various monographs on Fundamental Rights. In 1998 Mifsud Bonnici was made Companion of National Order of Merit (K.O.M).

In December 2016 the University of Malta conferred an Award for Chief Justice Emeritus Giuseppe Mifsud Bonnici, after almost half a century of lecturing.

Mifsud Bonnici married Maria Cremona, B. Pharm. On 24 October 1959 and they had three daughters, Josette, Maricarm, and Anna.

This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.