Labour will respect any recommendation made by the Commission for the Administration of Justice even if that is a recommendation of impeachment against Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco.

Replying to questions by The Times on the recent case surrounding the president of the Malta Olympics Committee and whether his position on the bench is untenable, Dr Muscat said that while he did not agree that politicians should comment on judges, particularly on a personal level, he would respect any decision taken by the Commission on this case.

He said he would await the Commission’s deliberations and he would respect any recommendation given.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi last Sunday called for the resignation of Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco after he was mentioned by the International Olympic Committee for his alleged involvement in a scandal on the sale of tickets for the Winter Olympic games.

The Prime Minister said that the judiciary’s credibility has been put at stake and he asked the judge to “choose the honourable path”.

Alternattiva Demokratika also called for the judge’s resignation and asked the Commission to conclude its investigation on the matter. The investigations started last June.

On his part, the Judge has insisted that he will not resign and said that “the Prime Minister was trying to be funny” when calling for his resignation.

A Judge can only be removed from the bench if two-thirds of MPs approve an impeachment procedure.

If the Commission issues such a recommendation, it will be up to the next parliament to discuss it.