Judge prepares to retire: 'I did not do anything special, I just applied the law'

Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono prepared to sign off his last case in court today as he is about to turn 65, the retirement age of judges.

After delivering his final address to jurors in the Salvatore Mangion murder case, and as the jurors withdrew, Mr Justice Galea Debono was congratulated by members of his family, judges and lawyers who were in the hall.

Dr Edward Gatt, vice president of the Chamber of Advocates in an address praised and thanked Dr Galea Debono for his service. He also called on the government to exercise the same principles used in the nomination of Dr Galea Debono when a new judge was appointed.

He pointed out that Dr Galea Debono's characteristic was his extensive experience, particularly in criminal law, which enabled him to quickly understand the cases before him and what was going on in court.

Mr Justice Galea Debono said this farewell was a surprise to him. He thanked all for their collaboration.

"I did not do anything special, all I did was to apply the law," he said to applause.