Chief Justice Emeritus Giuseppe Mifsud Bonnici, who also served as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, died on Friday aged 88. Known as ‘Ġoġo’, he was an inspiring and tenacious figure who was not afraid to speak his mind.

Vincent De Gaetano
Chief Justice Emeritus and Judge at the European Court of Human Rights.

For lawyers of my generation, Giuseppe Mifsud Bonnici was always there, dominating the legal scene. He inspired generations of law students by instilling a sense of discipline in legal thinking and drumming into their heads that Horace’s expression ‘est modus in rebus’ (there is a mean, or method, in all things) cut across the fields of law, ethics, morality and many other disciplines besides.

His struggles – as a lawyer, as President of the Chamber of Advocates and, later, as a first instance judge – to have justice delivered within a reasonable time in the face of ingrained practices which treated benignly dilatory pleas and tactics, deserve an entire book. Indeed, it was when he began trying constitutional redress applications in first instance, and later when as Chief Justice he presided over the Constitutional Court, that constitutional and human rights cases started being dealt with the expedition they deserved.

He was also instrumental in kick-starting – again in the face of opposition or scepticism even from some members of the judiciary – the process to ensure greater practical and administrative, as opposed to merely notional or constitutional, independence of the Judiciary from the Executive.

He promoted the setting up of the Commission for the Administration of Justice, as well as amendments to the Code of Organisation and Civil Procedure minimising the powers and functions of the Minister for Justice in the internal organisation of the courts and the distribution of work among judges.

Tonio Borg
Former deputy prime minister and European Commissioner.

He was a man of various talents – a champion of chess and a man who had everything under control. He was very Mediterranean in that sense, but he had a kind heart. He was my lecturer and as a judge, he introduced new concepts in human rights.

He inspired generations of law students

Judge Mifsud Bonnici was a committed Catholic and in every aspect of his life he put the Catholic identity at the heart of his work. He was a man of principle who always thought the weaker person should be protected. His character dominated a discussion, and no one could mistake his poise and his arguments. Those who did not know him might have seen him as emotional but what he was deep down was kind-hearted.

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He always thought of the little guy. He will be remembered as someone who was outspoken, opinionated and always spoke up for what he believed in. This character trait marked all aspects of his life. He had many hobbies outside law and politics, working with the Malta Football Association. In all areas, he always spoke up for what he thought was the right thing to do.

Prof. Ray Mangion
Head of department, Legal History and Methodology, University of Malta.

In an opinion piece just over two years ago penned to mark Judge Mifsud Bonnici’s Award for Academic Excellence, Prof. Mangion described Judge Mifsud Bonnici as a “luminary of a polychromatic character”.

Judge Mifsud Bonnici was a member of the most distinguished political and legal households in Malta, Dr Mangion wrote. “He belongs to the Cottonera stock but other descendants originating from Qormi included formidable individuals varying from ascetic poets to engineering scientists of the highest quality.

“He had been active all his life and was president of the University Students’ Council from 1951 to 1958.

“Since his childhood, he had been infatuated by the game of chess, certainly more intriguing and mind-boggling than philosophy of law. Mifsud Bonnici was a man who believed in appearance. He loved to quote from Clyde Bell who chiselled a fabulous monograph on the art of dressing as an underlying concept of civilisation since the Renaissance.

“He looked at philosophy of law as equivalent to philosophy of life from the moment he discovered the writings of Oxonian John Finnis. Mifsud Bonnici had always emphasised that his greatest fortune was the fact that he was ‘Beato Fra Le Donne’”.