Judge's arraignment: PM warns he may summon parliament, Muscat backs impeachment

Last updated 9.19 p.m. Labour leader Joseph Muscat said this evening that Labour would back impeachment of Judge Ray Pace. His comment came in a tweet shortly after Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi  demanded the judge's resignation and warned he was prepared to summon Parliament to move an impeachment motion. In comments in Brussels, where he is currently attending an EU summit, Dr Gonzi said that without discussing issues of guilt or otherwise, the fact that a judge had been arraigned on serious charges and remanded in custody was serious enough to merit his immediate resignation. He warned that if resignation did not come about, he was prepared to summon Parliament and move an impeachment motion. Malta, he said, expected the highest standards from its judges and magistrates. Earlier this afternoon, Dr Muscat said that Mr Justice Pace’s position was untenable because he was being charged with a crime. Asked what action should be taken to remove him from the Bench, he said that he hoped good sense would prevail. This case, Dr Muscat said, angered him. It showed the urgent need for a review and reform of the judicial sector, including the way how members of the judiciary were...