Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/915099
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2017 News 4 OPENING SOON IN MALTA KURT SANSONE REPUBLIC Day marks the retire- ment of Mr Justice David Sciclu- na as the judiciary faces an over- haul over the next 12 months. Four judges will be retiring after reaching 65 years of age, including Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri, who retires on 26 April next year. Speculation on Camilleri's re- placement has been rife for quite some time but it remains un- clear whether the government will opt for a sitting judge or ap- point someone from outside the judiciary. Camilleri had served as attorney general before his appointment to chief justice in 2010. His retirement will open up a crucial vacancy for Malta's judiciary – a sensitive post for any government. The retirement of his prede- cessor, chief justice Vincent de Gaetano took place last August but as is customary, he will con- tinue to serve his term as a judge on the European Court of Hu- man Rights. Camilleri was appointed after Vincent de Gaetano was nomi- nated to the European Court of Human Rights. He was an 'out- sider' candidate catapulted to the top post without having been a member of the judiciary. In 2014, Camilleri's bid to be- come Malta's second judge in the General Court of the Euro- pean Court of Justice, in Lux- embourg, failed. Camilleri had applied for the post within the General Court, formerly known as the Court of First Instance but failed to get the green light from a panel of EU judges who tested his suitability for the post, particularly his experience in EU legislation. He might still be a possible candidate as successor of Malta's sitting judge in the EU's court of justice, Anthony Borg Barthet, who is expected to step down in October 2018. Eugène Buttigieg is currently a judge in the Gen- eral Court, serving his second mandate until 2019. The fourth judge to retire will be Antonio Mizzi, who reaches retirement age on 16 November 2018. Mizzi is the husband of Labour MEP Mar- lene Mizzi. The information was given in Parliament on Monday by Justice Minister Owen Bonnici, who was an- swering a question by Oppo- sition MP Jason Azzopardi. Just last month, MaltaToday reported that lawyer Vincent Galea, the vice-president of the Chamber of Advocates, was tipped for promotion to the Bench after securing a green light from the commission that appoints members of the judici- ary. More judges are expected to be appointed in a bid to beef up Malta's Court of Appeal and ad- dress a four-year backlog. These appointments are likely to be over and above the replace- ments for the retiring judges. Judges and magistrates in Malta are appointed only after an independent commission vets candidates who put forward their name for appointment to the Bench. Judiciary faces overhaul in 2018 with retirement of Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri Republic Day sees the retirement of Mr Justice David Scicluna, while three more judges will retire in 2018 as they turn 65 Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri (right) will retire in April 2018