Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/262615
News JURGEN BALZAN MPS who have publicly expressed an opinion in favour or against Judge Lino Farrugia Sacco's im- peachment should be barred from casting their vote in the impeach- ment motion, the Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Malta said. In an article published in today's edition of MaltaToday, Kevin Aq- uilina argues that Farrugia Sacco has been denied his right for a fair trial since the Commission for the Administration of Justice has re- submitted the original report it had compiled for the first impeachment motion presented by former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi. Calling for a third report, Aquilina said that a member of the Commis- sion for the Administration of Jus- tice should make the case in par- liament and the Judge and his legal team should be given the opportu- nity to put their case to MPs. "The Speaker should also ensure that the discussion on this removal motion is kept serene, that biased Member of Parliament are debarred from taking part in the removal pro- cedure, including in voting, that the House should act more like a court of law than a political assembly and that the end result of the debate should be that of arriving to the truth." This afternoon, the House Busi- ness Committee is set to meet to discuss how the impeachment proc- ess will continue in parliament after the original motion was declared null by the Speaker of the House Anglu Farrugia. Since then, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat filed a new motion, and the Commission informed parliament that its investigation into the judge remains valid. "But if the original motion is no longer valid, how can the original report still continue to be valid?" Aquilina said. On Monday, Farrugia Sacco filed a judicial protest against the prime minister, the Attorney General and the Commission for the Adminis- tration of Justice. Farrugia Sacco is claiming that he was neither notified nor given the opportunity to make his own case in what should have been a second investigation by the Commission for the Administration of Justice. The judge is also claiming that since the original motion was de- clared to be invalid by the Speaker, it follows that the decision on that motion be also considered null. In a decision of 6 January 2014, the Commission for the Administration of Justice ruled that Farrugia Sacco had compromised his position by retaining the post of president of the Malta Olympic Committee in breach of the judiciary's code of eth- ics. It found Gonzi's request for an im- peachment had been proven, after Farrugia Sacco entertained a dis- cussion on the resale of the MOC's tickets to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, with two undercover Sunday Times of London reporters posing as ticket agents. In his biting article, Aquilina said that before compiling a second re- port, the Commission members should have been changed "because of prejudice so that the new triers are not tainted with bias." He also argued that the Judge should have been given an opportu- nity to present his case to the new Commission members. maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 19 FEBRUARY 2014 Download the MaltaToday App now Subscribe to the e-paper Read the MaltaToday and MaltaToday midweek at 5am on the morning of publication on your Desktop, Tablet or Smartphone Subscribe now at www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/maltatodayepaper With an annual subscription you will get a FREE copy of your choice either Saviour Balzan's 'Saying It As It Is' or 'GourmetToday 100 best recipes' worth over €20 Subscription options 1 edition: €0.80 3 months: €15.00 MaltaToday and MaltaToday Midweek 6 months: €28.00 MaltaToday and MaltaToday Midweek 12 months: €50.00 + FREE BOOK *best value* Biased MPs should be debarred from voting on impeachment motion Lino Farrugia Sacco (far left)