Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco, who is facing an impeachment motion, will not run again for president of the Malta Olympic Committee, The Times has learnt.
A call for nominations for the post closed at noon yesterday and the only name submitted was that of vice president Julian Pace Bonello.
MOC general secretary Joe Cassar confirmed yesterday that Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco had not submitted his nomination.
The judge has been presiding over the MOC since 1999, defying calls by the Commission for the Administration of Justice to step down as his position in the sports organisation was deemed incompatible with his judicial role.
According to the judiciary’s code of ethics, a sitting member is not allowed to hold any other office, even on a voluntary basis.
Attempts to contact Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco for a reaction proved unsuccessful.
The motion against Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco, one of the judiciary’s most senior members, was tabled by former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi in Parliament.
It followed the findings of the Ethics Commission of the International Olympic Committee on an investigation by undercover journalists from The Sunday Times of London into the sale of Olympic Games tickets. The Justice Administration Commission started discussing the motion in December but it has not yet reached any conclusion.
According to a Parliament ruling, a motion of impeachment remains valid despite the dissolution of Parliament between legislatures.
To remove a judge, a two-thirds majority vote by MPs is required.
Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco is objecting to the impeachment motion and even filed a constitutional case against the Prime Minister and the Commission.
He is demanding that two Commission members – a former judge and the Chamber of Advocates president – should not be allowed to hear his case, accusing them of having a conflict of interest.
In court, he alleged that the impeachment motion against him was politically motivated due to his political beliefs.
Last week, the case was deferred at the request of the Office of the Prime Minister.
Before the election, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had said that a Labour Government would follow the Commission’s recommendation on the matter. He had also said the judge should suspend himself until the Commission reached a decision.
Despite this and similar calls by Chief Justice Emeritus, now the Ombudsman, Joseph Said Pullicino, Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco is still holding sittings. He has also filed a criminal libel case against the Ombudsman over comments he made in public on the controversy.