The Prime Minister’s Gateway To Malta’s Court Is Pawlu Lia: How Familial Relationships And Powerful Positions Mean He Might Enjoy Unwavering Authority
Recently-appointed Magistrate Nadine Lia is causing quite a stir in court, with her conflicts of interest being laid bare for Malta to see after she was chosen to oversee an inquiry into the phantom job given to the middleman in the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Her father-in-law, lawyer Pawlu Lia, only recently dropped the Prime Minister’s former Chief of Staff Keith Schembri as a client, while he continues to serve as the Prime Minister’s personal lawyer.
The inquiry expressly involves the Office of the Prime Minister, with Schembri having played a direct role in acquiring the no-work position for Theuma.
Yet, Nadine Lia ploughs on despite the significant issues, seemingly playing into fears that she was a crony-appointee part of the Prime Minister’s attempts to take over Malta’s courts.
However, Pawlu Lia’s unwavering authority over Malta’s courts extends far beyond familial relationships, with his influence over Malta’s judicial system flagged as a major issue by lawyers in the past.
Several legal sources have described Lia has enjoying undue power, with fears that his multiple governmental roles and his legal representation of both the Prime Minister and the Labour Party have eroded any sense of the rule of law.
An anonymous cartoon sent to Lovin Malta
Beyond being the reported person who redacted the infamous Egrant Inquiry, which itself is currently at the centre of a legal battle pushing for its publication, he is a member of the Commission for the Administration of Justice and has long enjoyed far-reaching power.
Nominated by Muscat, the role allows Lia to enjoy a status similar to a judge, giving the Prime Minister’s and Labour Party’s lawyer an elevated and influential position in the courts.
By way of comparison, the Opposition’s representative on the Commission is retired judge Victor Caruana Colombo… someone who is no longer active in court cases.
A judge that judges other judges, Lia sits on the Commission with members of the judiciary who decide his clients’ cases, like Muscat and Schembri’s. While he also appears in front of judges and magistrates who are well aware that they may appear in front of him in disciplinary proceedings.
Being on the Commission also allows Dr Lia to interact with members of the judiciary in a way that other lawyers may not. Usually, lawyers are only able to speak to members of the judiciary through the deputy registrar, meaning each conversation is logged.
With Schembri a known-fan of secret messaging services and the Office of the Prime Minister growing more and more involved in the case by the day, questions have to raised whether Pawlu Lia’s government roles can play a direct role in the outcome of proceedings.
The independence of the judiciary has never been more important, with a country ripping itself apart while it slowly loses complete faith in authorities. The time for cronyism is over.
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