At a reception held at the Circolo Gozitano in Victoria, lawyer Grazio Mercieca presented a copy of the first volume of Massimarji tal-Imħallef Philip Sciberras to Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri, in the presence of the Minister for Gozo, Anton Refalo, lawyers practising in Gozo and officials of the Gozo court.

The author said that he had laid out, in a systematic and analytical manner, the legal parts of Mr Justice Philip Sciberras’s judgments, with his unique and intimate knowledge of Maltese jurisprudence, rendering his judgments a legal encyclopaedia.

For this reason, the compilation of the legal maxims found in Sciberras’s judgments would serve as an easy reference for busy legal practitioners.

The Chief Justice said that Mercieca’s oeuvre is important because there are few Maltese legal publications, making it necessary to refer to foreign writers.

The book is not merely a compilation of judgments but a structured exposition of judicial pronouncements of Sciberras, who, as a practising lawyer, used to quote extensively judgments of the courts and then made his own significant contribution during his tenure on the Bench.

Camilleri added that a principal merit of the book is that it is user-friendly, with no less than five indexes.

The Minister remarked that Gozo has always produced great jurists and preparations were ongoing for the construction of a new court building in Gozo, designed by Gozitan artist Austin Camilleri.