Malta Appoints Two New Judges And Two New Magistrates

Malta’s judiciary this week has promoted two magistrates to judges and two lawyers stepping up as new magistrates.

Magistrates Simone Grech and Rachel Montebello have officially joined the bench as judges, while Franco Agius and Ingrid Bianco were sworn in as magistrates.

The appointments were confirmed by the Office of the President following a public call issued by the Justice Ministry in August. Both selection processes involved two rounds of shortlisting, with dozens of expressions of interest submitted for the vacant roles.

Grech and Montebello were chosen from a shortlist that also included Charmaine Galea and Gabriella Vella, while Agius and Bianco were selected from a separate shortlist featuring Patrick Valentino and Claudio Zammit.

In a statement, the President congratulated the new appointees and thanked the Judicial Appointments Committee for its “meticulous work” in the process.

The announcement comes shortly after Justice Minister Jonathan Attard expressed frustration over delays in filling judicial vacancies and other key roles, including the Standards Commissioner for the judiciary.

Earlier this month, Labour MP Edward Zammit Lewis, Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti, and Judge Emeritus Toni Abela also called for equal pay across the judiciary. Both Chetcuti and Abela went further, suggesting that judges and magistrates could eventually form a single unified judicial body.