New women judges sworn in

Magistrate Abigail Lofaro and lawyer Anna Felice were sworn in as Malta's first women judges by President Eddie Fenech Adami at the Palace Valletta, yesterday.

Lawyer Audrey Demicoli, who is abroad, will be sworn in as magistrate shortly.

Both new judges said they were honoured to have been entrusted with such responsibility. Madame Justice Abigail Lofaro confessed it had been her life-long aspiration to be appointed judge.

President Fenech Adami said both women have a reputation for being hard working and honest. He was sure both would fulfil their responsibilities in an honourable manner as was befitting the Maltese judiciary which, he added was always held in high esteem, a fact reflecting the vibrancy of the Maltese democracy.

Madame Justice Lofaro was appointed magistrate in 1996 after serving in a number of several commissions and government departments and being involved, among other things, in the Law Reform Commission, headed by the late Attorney General Emeritus Edgar Mizzi.

Madame Justice Felice graduated as lawyer in 1981 and served on the Commission for the Advancement of Women and was a member of the group that drafted the 1993 Family Law reform. She was a consultant to the Family Court and chaired the Mediation Centre. She was also a member of the Curia's sex abuse investigations response team and a member of the Electoral Commission.

The National Council of Women has expressed satisfaction at the nomination of the two women judges. It said it has for many years made recommendations regarding the need of appointing women to the judiciary.