On the afternoon of 1st of August 2002 the MaltaMedia Newsroom received a note from the Department of Information saying that the Prime Minister was to address the press later in the afternoon and that one of his evening appointments had been postponed. It was a Thursday.

What Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami had to tell the media was shocking: Two judges were under investigation for alleged bribery.

To make matters worse, one of them was Chief Justice Noel Arrigo, the man who everyone looked at as a source of truthfulness and wisdom and who had just been appointed to the post in January.

In a matter of days Chief Justice Arrigo and Justice Patrick Vella faced court charges, resigned, and sent the Maltese judicial system in a crisis of confidence, both on the inside and in the people's perception.

Malta was facing its first judicial crisis since attaining independence.

In these pages we give an almost day-by-day account of what went on since the crisis was revealed to the public. We take a look at the main players of this case and what one can expect to happen in the near future.

Readers can also take part in the ongoing heated debates about the crisis on the MaltaMedia Forum as well as participate in the numerous polls that are held regularly.

The MaltaMedia News Team
August 2002