PRESS RELEASE BY THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

This evening the President held a meeting with Prime Minister Robert Abela, followed by a separate meeting with Opposition Leader Alex Borg.

In the meeting with the Prime Minister, who was accompanied by Justice Minister Jonathan Attard, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to meet with the Opposition Leader with the aim of reaching an agreement on the appointment of a Chief Justice.

Earlier in the same day, the Leader of the Opposition, through a telephone call, communicated his wish to the President that, the President be present in meetings between the parties on the matter.

The President stresses that this is a matter that depends on a vote in the House of Representatives, and after speaking with the Prime Minister as well as the Leader of the Opposition, the President expresses her conviction that the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition have the necessary wisdom to reach an agreement in the interest of the Courts and the Administration of Justice, the Rule of Law, the State and above all our people.