In any functioning democracy, the role of a magistrate is sacred. It is entrusted only to those deemed impartial, competent, and above reproach. Yet today, the case of Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi casts a long shadow over that trust — and raises troubling questions about both judicial conduct and institutional accountability in Malta.
Let us be clear: a woman’s life was assessed to be at high risk following a domestic violence report. The protocol in such cases is not flexible. Arrest the alleged aggressor. Issue a restraining order. Protect the victim.
Instead, Magistrate Azzopardi did nothing. He allowed Robert Aquilina — the Curia’s Notary — to return home to the very woman who said she feared for her life. No arrest. No protection. Just a magistrate shrugging off a legal obligation to shield the vulnerable.
This decision alone would be enough to justify public outrage. But it gets worse.
As revealed by African Intelligence and now confirmed in local media, Azzopardi was already facing undisclosed criminal proceedings in the Ivory Coast at the time of his appointment. These involve a €750,000 damages claim and possible international arrest warrant — facts he reportedly failed to disclose when being vetted for judicial office.
Even now, there is no public record indicating that these proceedings have been closed.And yet, the Judicial Appointments Committee insists it was unaware — raising the urgent question: Who is doing the vetting in this country?
The judiciary cannot afford shadows. It cannot afford secrecy. And it certainly cannot afford judges or magistrates who are themselves the subject of international legal scrutinywhile presiding over the lives of others.
If a woman dies because of this decision, if any further harm comes to the victim in the Aquilina case, the responsibility will not lie solely with the perpetrator. It will lie with Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi.
The Public Deserves Better
The justice system must not protect those who wear the robe while failing the people they serve. Silence in the face of wrongdoing is complicity. The authorities must act — and the public has every right to demand transparency, accountability, and if necessary, removal.
This portal will not be silenced. We will not play along with a system that shields the powerful and sacrifices the vulnerable.
Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi must be investigated. He must be suspended. And if the allegations are confirmed — he must go.
Justice demands nothing less.
1 Comment
The state administration should dive head first into this purkerija ta-magistrat actions and not fell silent on this case.