The Government and the Opposition this afternoon agreed that Parliament should continue its impeachment proceedings against Judge Lino Farrugia Sacco, but the opposition protested after the government said another meeting of the House Business Committee was needed to discuss procedure.
The two sides decided to proceed after the Commission for the Administration of Justice decided that a decision it gave for the first impeachment motion against Judge Farrugia Sacco remained valid for the new motion which had replaced it.
Judge Farrugia Sacco has protested that the commission should have considered the case once more and given him the opportunity to defend himself.
During a meeting of the House Business Committee this afternoon, Deputy Prime Minister Louis Grech said that while Parliament should proceed, it should act prudently if a constitutional case was presented by the judge. This, he observed, was also the position of Judge Giovanni Bonello and Kevin Aquilina, Dean of the Faculty of Laws.
He suggested that the House Business Committee should therefore meet again to set the procedure to be followed.
Opposition Deputy Leader Mario de Marco and whip David Agius agreed that parliament should continue the process but insisted that there was no need for another committee meeting, and the procedure should be decided today, avoiding further delay.
Mr Agius pointed out that the opposition had already requested an urgent meeting of the committee but the governemnt turned down that request. Now the government was signalling that it wanted to delay the process further.
Mr Grech said today's committee meeting was to discuss whether to proceed, not to discuss the procedure. The way forward needed to be discussed at another sitting on the basis of the agreement to proceed. He denied that the government was dragging its feet, but said the process needed to be fair.
He hoped that the government was not now implying that parliamentary action would stop again if the judge filed a Constitutional case.
Mr Grech said one would have to consider his position if a constitutional case was filed.
The Speaker, Anglu Farrugia, said that at a first step, the impeachment motion would now be published on the Motions Book and the judge would be formally notified.
A meeting should then be held to agree on procedure. This was the same procedure followed in the past.
Mr Agius said the motion should be immediately presented for debate by the House. The committee should set a date.
Dr de Marco said the procedure should be set at the next committee meeting. Dr Grech agreed.
The committee will meet again on February 28 but the government will in the meantime give the opposition a draft programme of the suggested procedure.
CARNIVAL LOCKS OUT PARLIAMENT
Meanwhile the House Committee decided that Parliament would not meet on March 3 and 4 after the Speaker said it would be difficult to get into the building because of carnival activities on Palace Square.