Editorial

The country was shocked yesterday to hear of the news by the prime minister that Chief Justice Noel Arrigo and Judge Patrick Vella were undergoing investigations by the police.

The case, revealed by the prime minister at a conference at his office in Castille in the afternoon, is extremely serious as it directly affects one of the highest institutions in the land, the judiciary. The very fact that the prime minister felt the need to call the press conference to announce the case himself indicates the seriousness of the matter.

Giving details, Dr Eddie Fenech Adami said the two were being investigated over claims that they accepted thousands of liri in return for reducing a convicted man's prison sentence on appeal.

The appeal was of Mario Camilleri, whose sentence was reduced from 16 to 12 years. He was originally sentenced to 16 years imprisonment and fined Lm25,000 for regularly trafficking cocaine and possessing a firearm.

The appeal was heard by Chief Justice Arrigo, Mr Justice Joseph Filletti and Mr Justice Vella, but the prime minister said that Mr Justice Filletti was not implicated in the case.

According to the prime minister, the two judges were asked to reduce the jail term by four years in return for thousands of liri, and on investigation the police discovered that money had been relayed to the two judges.

Chief Justice Arrigo was sworn in as Chief Justice only last January, and Mr Justice Vella, in February 1998.

At one point in the press conference, Dr Fenech Adami said the two judges had not yet offered their resignation, which can be taken to mean that the administration is expecting them to resign.

What is of tremendous importance at this early stage is that the police investigations are carried out and concluded in the shortest time possible.

The courts are in the public eye all the time, and any undue delay in concluding the investigations could only add to the implications that already exist. This is certainly no ordinary case.

The prime minister appealed to the public to wait for the results of the investigation first before reaching any conclusions. This is hard to follow when the prime minister has already released details of the investigations.

In any case, irrespective of all this, the two judges' place on the bench is now untenable and they therefore ought to step down.

Without going into the merits of the case ourselves, the words expressed by the President of the Republic, Prof. Guido de Marco, in the morning, ring out with great force.

He recalled a speech he made in February 2000 when he said that 'honesty and integrity are the greatest heritage of the Maltese judiciary. This is a quality that we cherish. To be brilliant in law is important, to be dedicated and motivated to the work of the judiciary is essential. To be honest is indispensable."

The case hits at the very heart of the judiciary's integrity and credibility. All those responsible for the administration of justice now face a daunting challenge - rebuilding confidence in the judiciary.