PL seeks recusal of Vitals magistrate from hearing Siggiewi ghost voter cases

The Labour Party is seeking the recusal of Magistrate Gabriella Vella – the same magistrate who has recently concluded the hospitals inquiry – from hearing cases concerning the registration of voters in an uninhabitable social housing pro

By: independent.com.mt

May 07 2024
0
0 Views

PL seeks recusal of Vitals mag

The PL said in a statement that it is intervening in a number of cases where “the Nationalist Party wants to stop a number of families with difficulties who qualify for social housing in Siggiewi from voting.”

Some of these cases, the party said in a statement, have come before Magistrate Gabriella Vella.

Magistrate Vella is the member of the judiciary at the centre of a storm after the conclusion of her inquiry into the now annulled hospitals concession. Charges have been filed against former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, his sidekick Keith Schembri and the Labour government’s former star minister Konrad Mizzi – amongst others – on the back of this inquiry.

Prime Minister Robert Abela meanwhile has cried foul at the inquiry’s timing, saying that it was purposely concluded to interfere with the electoral campaign. He has since mounted a campaign of trying to sow doubts in the inquiry’s findings, and blaming “the establishment” for wanting to remove the Labour Party from power and wanting to punish those associated to it.

“In light of how the circumstances have developed over the last months and days, particularly after a four and a half year-long inquiry was closed the moment that nominations opened for the European Parliament elections, the recusal of Magistrate Gabriella Vella from hearing these cases was requested,” the PL said.

Magistrate Vella, the party added, refused to recuse herself.

The cases in question pertain to the registration of 99 voters in a government housing project in Siggiewi which is still being built, right before the electoral register was published.

The Labour Party won a majority in the Siggiewi local council for the first time ever in 2019, winning the locality by just 70 votes.

The PN filed court applications requesting the reversal of the registrations for the voters in question. So far, three of those voters have admitted in court that they do not actually live in the residence where they are registered.