Gonzi asks judge to resign, warns that judiciary's credibility is at stake

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has called on Judge Lino Farrugia Sacco to "choose the honourable path" and resign, warning him that the credibility of the entire judiciary was at stake. "If he does not do so, the necessary procedures allowed by law would have to be taken," he said. Asked during a PN meeting why the party was so adamant about his resignation, when so many Nationalist ministers failed to resign during this legislature, Dr Gonzi recalled the resignations of former Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici and former EU ambassador Richard Cachia Caruana, whom he thanked for their integrity and seriousness. When Parliament passed motions of no confidence, the people involved had resigned, he said, stressing that resignations were ensured even when he disagreed viscerally with Parliament's decision. Judge Farrugia Sacco, president of the Malta Olympic Committee, is embroiled in an international scandal over the selling of Olympic tickets together with general secretary Joe Cassar. They have been rapped by the International Olympic Committee's ethics commission along with five other officials from Serbia, Lithuania and Greece. Judge Farrugia Sacco has maintained his...