Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant has criticised the Commission for the Administration of Justice for its report on Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco.

Writing in his blog on inews, the former Labour leader said the commission’s report confirmed his view that the legal system in Malta is arcane.

Essentially, he said, the commission had decided that the judge should be censured because he had continued to serve as president of the Malta Olympic Committee. This was considered as misbehaviour.

Dr Sant noted that the Bangalore Principles on the judiciary's behaviour, recognised by the United Nations, spoke on the integrity of judges and said, in March 2007, that judges may participate in various not-for-profit organisations in civil society including charitable societies, school and university councils, religious society, hospital boards, social clubs and sports organisations.

There were many illustrious judges who had participated in voluntary societies in the past, including Chief Justice Arturo Mercieca, who led the St Vincent de Paule society for many years, and judge Maurice Caruana Curran, who founded and led Din l-Art Helwa.

Through its censuring of Justice Farrugia Sacco, the commission was associating with him his illustrious predecessors, Dr Sant said.

He said that as far as he knew, the most serious problem at the law courts was the sort of behaviour which saw the people not being served justice without delay. 

Dr Sant made no reference to the circumstances which the Olympic Committee had found itself in, and which led to the impeachment motion.