The Chamber of Advocates has stressed the right of citizens to be assisted by lawyers of their choice in a letter addressed to the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, Keith Schembri.
Sources said that in the letter, the Chamber condemned Mr Schembri’s behaviour in relation to the case involving the Marsascala Sports Club that was reported by this newspaper last Sunday.
The case revolves around a commitment made by the government to grant new facilities to the club to replace the old National Pool in Żonqor, which is to be integrated into the university campus planned for the area.
The Land Department issued an order evicting the club from the pool complex, but the club filed a request for an injunction.
The club then opted to drop its case about a fortnight ago, saying that negotiations with the government over a new arrangement were at “a very advanced” stage.
This is something the government cannot and should not do
Sources close to the Office of the Prime Minister told The Sunday Times of Malta that one of the conditions set by the government to start negotiations, following the injunction provisionally upheld by a court, was that Shadow Minister Jason Azzopardi – the club’s chosen lawyer – not be present.
It is this behaviour that the Chamber condemned, reminding Mr Schembri of every individual’s right to be assisted by a lawyer of their own choice. It said that if there was any truth to what was reported, such behaviour should not be repeated.
“Otherwise, it may be interpreted that the government thinks it has some right to interfere in the choice of lawyer by those parties with which it is negotiating, or that it is discriminating between one lawyer and another.
“This is something the government cannot and should not do,” the Chamber stated.
When contacted, the Office of the Prime Minister said the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, Mr Schembri, “never intruded” in the Marsascala Association’s selection of a lawyer.
The Office then proceeded to point the finger at Dr Azzopardi, saying that the “pending issue was solved almost immediately without his involvement”.
Marsascala SC treasurer Melchoir Busuttil told this newspaper that they were “very satisfied” with Dr Azzopardi’s service.
The OPM also said the Marsascala community would have a new state-of-the-art waterpolo pitch, a new football stadium and foreign direct investment of “more than €100 million in a new international university”.
The American University of Malta project sparked outrage over plans to build the entire campus on virgin land at Marsascala, including the area where the club is located.