Toni Abela, a retired judge, is sworn in as Malta’s first Commissioner for Judicial Standards.
Retired judge Toni Abela has been named Malta’s first Commissioner for Judicial Standards.
He officially assumed the role after taking the oath of office before President Myriam Spiteri Debono.
In his remarks, Abela emphasised that his focus will be on keeping the public informed about the purpose of the position. He stressed that the office is not meant to target individuals or question judicial decisions without solid evidence.
“Let me be clear: this role is not for those who are unhappy with a court ruling,” he said. “I will only step in if there is clear evidence that a judgement was dishonestly delivered. I am not an appeals court.”
President Spiteri Debono said the new position provides citizens with a fresh way to engage with the justice system and strengthens transparency in how it is administered.
Prime Minister Robert Abela said the office will strengthen scrutiny in cases where members of the public feel aggrieved, adding that the judiciary itself had requested the creation of the post. He said the move marked another step forward in the country’s justice system.
Justice Minister Jonathan Attard said the new commissioner’s role will reinforce the principles of integrity and accountability, while further strengthening the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.
Abela graduated as a lawyer in 1984 and after falling out with the Labour Party, where he served as president, went on to become one of the founders of Alternattiva Demokratika. He later re-joined the PL and went on to become deputy leader for party affairs in 2008. He relinquished the deputy leadership in 2016 when he was nominated by the government to serve on the European Court of Auditors, a post he failed to secure. Subsequently he was appointed judge.
Despite his political past, Abela earned plaudits from peers and lawyers for his work as a judge, with some of his rulings considered to be landmark judgements.
The post of standards commissioner for the judiciary was created earlier this year when the government put forward a raft of constitutional changes to reform aspects of the judicial system. The Opposition had voted against the reforms.
While some of the reforms could not be enacted since they required a two-thirds vote, such as the proposal to increase the retirement age for members of the judiciary, others, such as the creation of the role of Commissioner for Standards of the Judiciary, only required a simple majority.
The post was created to serve as an ethical watchdog on the judiciary.
The commissioner is appointed for a three-year term by the Commission for the Administration of Justice, a constitutional body tasked with overseeing matters related to the judiciary, including discipline. The role can be occupied by a retired judge or magistrate or a lawyer who is no longer practising.
The standards commissioner will receive reports and complaints not only, as is the situation today, from the Chief Justice or the Justice Minister, but directly from the general public.