Retired Judge Philip Sciberras is receiving three pensions from the public coffers, with the latest one reserved only for former members of the judiciary amounting to almost €23,000 a year, the court was told this week.

During ongoing court procedures over a libel suit filed by the retired judge following the publication of an article by the Times of Malta titled ‘Ex-MP gets top pension despite Treasury objections’, journalist Ivan Camilleri testified that following research conducted by the newspaper it resulted that while many complained of an inadequate pension, there were some citizens who seemed to be privileged as they receive more than one pension, particularly former members of Parliament.

Mr Camilleri told the court that the retired judge was currently the recipient of three pensions from the State coffers.

Apart from the normal pension available to everyone, Dr Sciberras was also receiving two separate privileged pensions – one as a former Labour MP and the other as a former member of the judiciary.

There were some citizens who seemed to be privileged

Mr Camilleri presented to the court information sought under the Freedom of Information Act in which the Department of Social Security confirmed that the retired judge was receiving €22,908 annually as a pension for when he formed part of the judiciary.

Mr Camilleri said that this latest pension was over and above the €572 a month which according to the same department the former judge received as a second pension for being a Labour MP for less than two full legislatures, and a third pension related to the national insurance.

During the proceedings, it resulted that despite turning 61 in 2006, Judge Sciberras started receiving his MP pension only in 2014 when the Attorney General overruled objections by the Treasury Department. As a consequence, Dr Sciberras was paid almost €55,000, mostly in arrears, for missing out on his MP’s pension since 2006.

Joseph Galea, a former assistant director at the Department of Social Services had testified that he had not agreed that the former MP qualified for a pension as calculations made by department officials on his eligibility did not tally with eligibility criteria dictated by a memo issued by the Speaker’s office.

However, after the department continued with its objections, Parliament sought the advice of the Attorney General who ruled that Judge Sciberras should have been given his second pension as a former MP.

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