Justice Minister Owen Bonnici will not ask the Commission for the Administration of Justice for guidance on the constitutionality of Caroline Farrugia Frendo’s nomination for magistrate.
As various legal experts and a member of the commission raised fresh doubts on the eligibility of the Speaker’s daughter due to the fact that she has been working as a court attorney and did not practice law for the past months, Dr Bonnici said today he would not consult the commission.
He insisted he had no doubt that Dr Farrugia Frendo had the constitutional requisites and said he would shoulder political responsibility for his decision.
Dr Farrugia Frendo will only reach the required seven years to become magistrate next month.
However, constitutional lawyers told the Times of Malta that the time she spent as court attorney should not be counted as it did not involve legal practice as required by the Constitution.