The state funeral of former President Sir Anthony Mamo will be held tomorrow, the government has announced.

The body of Sir Anthony will lie in state at the Palace in Valletta between 10 a.m. and 12.45 p.m. and Mass praesente cadavere led by Archbishop Paul Cremona will be said at 2 p.m. at St John’s Co-Cathedral.

A funeral cortege will then be held along Republic Street to City Gate, after which the funeral will continue privately.

Public transport tomorrow will operate from St Anne Street, Floriana, between 2-4.30 p.m.

Sir Anthony, the first President of Malta, died aged 99, early this morning.

He was born in Birkirkara and educated at the Archbishop’s seminary and the University of Malta where he graduated BA in 1931 and LLD in 1934. He was in private practice for a year before joining the civil service. He served as Crown Counsel from 1942 and became attorney general. He was appointed Chief Justice in 1957 and Governor-General in 1971 before becoming President in 1974.

Sir Anthony was a professor of criminal law at the University.

He was awarded the OBE in 1955 and knighted two years later. He was made Sieheb il-Gieh within the National Order of Merit in 1993.

The Department of Information said the Prime Minister had phoned Sir Anthony's family to convey his condolences. Sir Anthony is to be given a state funeral.

MLP acting leader Charles Mangion in a statement expressed the party's condolences, praising Sir Anthony for his intellect, integrity and professionalism.

PN general secretary Joe Saliba also expressed his condolences, saying Sir Anthony had given his all as Malta went through the process of becoming independent and then a republic. His passing away was a major loss for the country.

Picture: Sir Anthony with President Eddie Fenech Adami and (from left) former Presidents Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, Censu Tabone and Guido de Marco.