Parliament should move to impeach Magistrate Nadine Lia and Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg following decisions by different judges on Monday, rule of law NGO Repubblika has demanded.

The NGO's president, Robert Aquilina, said the decisions had "rocked" the law courts.

Why should Magistrate Lia be impeached?

In the first, he observed, Mr Justice Ian Spiteri Bailey had found that the magistrate 'lied' about a decree she said she had issued. 

Aquilina recalled that after the judge in a previous sitting issued a temporary order for a case before magistrate Lia to be transferred to another magistrate, Lia said she issued a decree putting off a sitting due on October 27.

But the judge was unable to later find that decree.

Repubblika said this showed that the magistrate had lied.

The case involves challenge proceedings that were initiated by Repubblika, calling on the commissioner of police to act against senior officials of Pilatus Bank following the findings of a magisterial inquiry. The NGO is objecting to Magistrate Lia hearing the challenge since her father-in-law, Pawlu Lia, had represented figures linked to the bank. 

Why should the Attorney General be impeached?

In the second case, Aquilina said, Mr Justice Christian Falzon Scerri had ruled that Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg must testify in a case instituted by Repubblika.

The civil society wants to reverse a decision by the attorney general not to institute court proceedings against senior Pilatus Bank officials, despite the orders of a magistrate who conducted an inquiry.  

The judge, Aquilina said, had criticised Buttigieg for not wanting her own decisions to be reviewed by the courts.

Two weeks ago, Aquilina recalled, another judge had told the attorney general she must not think she is above the law. 

On Monday, the judge also criticised the attorney general after finding that under oath she had first said she had not taken any decisions on the Pilatus case, and then last Friday she said she could not testify on a decision she had taken.

"She got mixed up in her own lies and was censured by the judge," Aquilina said. 

"These matters are very serious...It is evident that Magistrate Nadine Lia is not fit for purpose, she lied about us and now she had lied to a judge," Aquilina said.

"And the attorney general is abusing of her constitutional office and has been found to have lied under oath," he said. 

He said Repubblika was therefore calling on parliament to initiate impeachment proceedings against both.

"Parliament must act as is its duty," he said. 

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