A number of lawyers contacted by The Times yesterday over the case of Chief Justice Noel Arrigo and Mr Justice Patrick Vella said they felt both should resign with immediate effect following the bribery charges brought against them last Sunday.
Dr Hugh Peralta said he agreed with the statement made by President Guido de Marco a few days ago that integrity was the most essential prerequisite of a judge.
Sometimes, a lawyer would find himself or herself not agreeing with a judgment or not understanding how the judge would have reached a particular conclusion. But he or she would have to accept it - always bearing in mind their integrity and honesty.
Dr Peralta said it was very positive that cases like this had been brought to light. He also agreed with the steps being taken by government to limit the public activities of judges. He said this was a positive move since a judge should not become involved with certain people or certain activities.
He said he believed the two judges should resign for two reasons. "From what has already been reported, it seems that from the judges' own admissions, there are enough grounds for the impeachment to go through. Secondly, from the facts revealed so far, a strong doubt has already been cast on the two judges."
However, Dr Peralta stressed that the judges involved in this case were human beings, "and I want to express my deep sense of compassion for their families and relatives".
Dr Paul Borg Olivier said that everyone should assume responsibility for their behaviour and act according to their conscience. He said he would not speak for the two judges but if he were in their position, he would step down in the interest of justice and in the interest of the administration of justice.
"I would have stepped down. This is my personal opinion but obviously everyone should act according to what their conscience tells them to do. It is important for justice to be done and for everyone to realise that it is being done."
Dr Victor Scerri, speaking in a personal capacity, said he believed that since the two judges had been arraigned, they should resign, irrespective of the outcome of the judicial process.
It was obvious, Dr Scerri said, that the two judges should continue to be presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
Dr Angelo Farrugia, the Labour Party spokesman on justice, stressed the need for the two judges to be given the opportunity to have a fair trial.
Dr Georg Sapiano said: "This matter is a very delicate one in which our judgment of the behaviour of these two individuals is tempered by the fact that they are also our colleagues and our solidarity goes out to the members of their family, especially those who are preparing to join the legal profession or are already members of it.
"That notwithstanding, I must say that on the basis of what they are reported to have stated and admitted, they should leave immediately."
Dr Anna Mallia said: "Innocent or guilty, the damage to the judiciary has been done. It is painful, but they should resign."
Dr Jason Azzopardi said that once they had admitted wrongdoing, the only course of action available to them was to resign.
"This is not because of the impeachment motion which is going to be carried, but because it is the very least they can do in the light of the circumstances and the evidence produced.
"Whether they are guilty or not, a shadow has been cast on the judiciary and the legal profession.
"I was dumfounded when I heard about the case. Now all of us working in the law courts have the difficult task of winning back people's trust and our mission is to prove that this is the exception, and not the rule. But it is going to have long-term effects.
"The three main institutions in this country - the Church, the political class and the judiciary - have now been discredited, or at least very much discredited in the light of recent scandals."
At least four other prominent lawyers said the two judges should step down on the basis that the police had enough evidence to arraign them and that strong doubts had already been cast on their integrity.
Chief Justice Arrigo and Mr Justice Vella were arraigned on Sunday afternoon and charged with accepting bribes and with revealing official secrets in relation to a sentence handed down by the Court of Criminal Appeal against Mario Camilleri on July 5. The charges were aggravated by the fact that they were public officers duty bound to prevent the crime.
Both judges pleaded not guilty.
The two judges on Monday wrote to Prof. de Marco saying they would like to refrain from carrying out their duties.
However, they made it clear they were not resigning from their posts.
A motion for the impeachment of the judges, signed by the prime minister and opposition leader, was presented to the Speaker on Monday night.
Meanwhile, Prof. de Marco, acting on the advice of Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami, has designated Mr Justice Joseph David Camilleri to perform the functions of the Chief Justice while the process takes its course.