Jose Herrera: he no longer defends cases before his sister. He sends Veronique Dalli instead.
Jose A. Herrera yesterday released a statement to The Times saying that he “decided to refrain from appearing before (his) sister and this notwithstanding that legislation precluding lawyers from appearing before family members was not yet in force.”
Honestly.
He did this, he said, after a judgement by the European Court of Human Rights. But did he need that judgement to tell him why a lawyer should not defend cases that are judged by his sister?
Nor should it have been his decision. It should have been his sister’s, Magistrate Scerri Herrera. So what is he saying here – that if he wished to continue defending cases before his sister, she would not have abstained?
That statement was just so much rubbish, in any case. You see, the thing most people don’t know is this. He doesn’t turn up in court to defend cases before his sister, true. Instead, he dispatches Veronique Dalli from his office (who is a guest at her parties and has a personal relationship with her because….she works for her brother).
Same difference.
So now in court reports of cases heard by Magistrate Scerri Herrera, you no longer see ‘Dr Jose Herrera and Dr Veronique Dalli’ listed as defence, but only Dr Veronique Dalli.
Cheap trick.
And this man is going to be the Minister of Justice in 18 months.
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Why isn’t The Times investigating all this? And, why is Dr. Herrera wearing teenager’s sunglasses? Qisu fidil.
“Qisu” ?! Come again ?
dudu & David – Twaqqawx is-suggett ghar-ridikolu. Din l-affari hija serja, u taffettwa kull wiehed u wahda minna.
your nickname can be classified as a fidil. kemm inti vojt. ex pn
The Times is the posh version of MaltaToday. Rather it is the wannabe posh version of that rag.
You have put your finger on a sore, very sore point. Are legal practitioners personally responsible for their professional conduct, or is it the firm the work with?
In Malta we do not have the LLP (Limited Liability Partnership) which would simplify matters.
From a technical point of view Jose is right.
But here it is not a matter of the niceties of the law. Here it is a matter of ethics.
A man who aspires to occupy a high-profile position such as that of Minister of Justice has to have at least the semblance of ethical awareness.
Even in the Mintoffian Dark Ages, Ministers of Justice were usually people with a certain aura of decency. Mintoff never hired Lorry Sant, Danny Cremona or the other scumbags his party was full of, as Minister of Justice.
If Muscat appoints Herrera as Justice Minister it means Muscat will sink even deeper in the mire than Dom Mintoff. Now that is something.
mela tiga rasenjajt ruhek, qed timmagina sewwa sur weber. soon pl will lead this country, have you seen the credit rating, gonzi is no longer credibli. time to put his weak team on the opposition benches. ex pn
How tiresome these “ex pn” are. They just hog internet sites to tell us how they will be abandoning the PN in droves when they wouldn’t vote on the “blue part” of the ballot if the whole ballot were blue.
Come on, let’s get real, shall we?
Why don’t you admit it that you’re a PL follower?
Would you say Gonzi’s credibility has fallen because of Moody’s rating?
So, Joseph Muscat is credible, based on what exactly?
I’m sure the PL will win the next election but certainly this has got nothing to do with Gonzi’s credibility.
Rather it is due to the short-sighted way that people hanker for “change” when, yes, we will get change: change for the worse.
But please, don’t pose as an ex PN. The way you express yourself betrays your true leanings, to which you have every right (a right guaranteed by the PN, certainly not by the Party formerly known as Prince, sorry, MLP).
What alternative does Muscat have? Anglu Farrugia? No honestly … Luciano Busuttil?
The only reasonable person from the Labour fold who would be fit for the post is Gavin Gulia, but then again. I wouldn’t bank on Muscat’s judgment in this regard.
Prosit, Daphne! Well done for exposing their ziblati.
Min jaf x’jidghilek Jose! Hip-hip-hip-hooray to Daphne.
New Labour – full speed ahead to the Mintoffian past.
Mur ara x’ gej meta jitilghu it-tarag ta’ Kastilja.
Mintoff was a tyrant. These people are a bit more subtle, which is probably worse.
They are as subtle as a sledgehammer. Don’t you ever read their comments on other blogs? They conjure up the Mintoffian era with every word they type.
Yes the Mintoff era but without any advantage to the worker.
For you-know-who:
Herrera qed jinqeda bil-Labour. Inqeda bil-Muviment tal-Haddiema, il-Muviment tal-Progressivi u l-Moderati, biex jibni l-karriera tieghu a spejjez tal-haddiem, taz-zghir, tal-batut, tal-emarginat.
Il-klassi tal-haddiema mhi se tiehu xejn imbilli Herrera jsir Ministru tal-Gustizzja. L-unici li jmorru tajjeb huma l-karfa tal-Belt – dawk li jfaqqghu d-drogi u l-Bambin biss jaf xi jhawdu – ghax ikollhom qaddis f’sahhtu jaqbez ghalihom.
Il-klassi tal-haddiema mhi se tikkwadanja xejn imbilli oht Herrera tibqa’ Magistrat.
Il-haddiem Malti jehtieg jifhem li din mhix kustjoni ta’ Ahna u Huma, Laburisti kontra Nazzjonalisti. Din kustjoni ta’ x’inhu s-Sewwa.
Huwa sewwa li mara taqlibha ‘l zewgha? Huwa sewwa li dil-mara tkun magistrat u taqbliba ‘l zewgha proprju mal-pulizija li jidhru quddiemha?
Kieku ibnek ikun akkuzat quddiem dil-mara, u hi torqod mal-ispettur li qed jakkuzah lil ibnek, int kif thossok?
Jekk lil ibnek jaghtuh sentenza iebsa u jfottulu hajtu – talli forsi ghamel zball zghir, cucata – int kif thossok?
Min-naha l-ohra, jekk bintek taqla’ xebgha jew aghar meta tkun Paceville u int tmur ghand il-pulizija ghax trid il-haqq. U min taha x-xebgha jmur l-ufficju ta’ Jose’ Herrera u tidher ghalih Veronique (li tahdem ma’ Herrera) quddiem Consuelo, u Alla jbierek johrog liberat dan li lil bintek ikun fottielha wiccha u minjaf x’ghamlilha biex tghaddi passjonitu. Int kieku kif thossok?
Ghax Herrera hareg mal-Partit tieghek, biex jinqeda bil-partit u bik, int tibqa’ ccapcaplu u xxejjirlu l-bandiera hamra bl-arma tal-Partit?
Tibqa’ taqbez ghalih? Tibqa’ zzomm ma’ ohtu li harbtet mill-anqas zewg familji? Hawdet lil uliedha u geghlet lil gbinha jitlaq lil martu u wliedu? Mara li hi pogguta ma’ ragel li hu – kemm? – 10 snin izghar minnha?
Dawn jaghmlulu gieh lill-Partit Laburista?
Dawn jaghmlulek gieh lilek li temmen fis-sejha tal-Partit? Li temmen li Malta l-ewwel u qabel kollox? Li temmen li l-klassi tal-haddiema jixirqilha l-Gustizzja?
Hekk tkun il-Gustizzja? Bit-tahwid? BIt-tbazwir? Bl-irqad ma’ dak u mal-iehor? Bil-parties fejn ikun hemm l-avukati?
Anki l-avukat ta’ kontrik?
Hekk ifisser tkun Laburist? Ifisser li tkun ma’ dat-tip ta’ nies, ta’ livell tant baxx, li jinqdew bik, bil-Laburisti l-ohra u bil-Partit biex isiru ghonja aktar milli ga huma?
QUM HADDIEM MIR-RAQDA L’INT FIHA: M’GHANDEK XEJN X’TITLEF HLIEF IL-KTAJJEN LI HERRERA QED IZOMMUK MARBUT BIHOM! QUM U HU L-HELSIEN TIEGHEK! EHLES LILEK INNIFSEK, LILL-PARTIT U LIL MALTA MINN DAN-NIES BLA SKRUPLI, BLA SENS TA’ GIEH, BLA DINJITA’! GIB IL-HELSIEN GHAL MALTA.
hafna hruq sur dee. mhur gib lil daphne tara lil joseph prim ministru, u mhux ta mallta biss, ima ftit zmien wara president ta 500 miljun, meta malta jkollha l presidenza. ara x lanzit gej. ghandkom 10 snin tistennew biex titnatfu.ex pn
Mid-dehra qed tiehu gost li jitla l-Labour jamministra l-pajjizna lejn iktar korruzzjoni, hmieg u iktar dejn.
It-tajba hi li inti wkoll trid thallas sehmhek mit-torta tad-dejn u tal-gholi tal-hajja flimkien maghna.
U jekk Joseph jasal (ghax fil-verita’ l-inqas biss huwa kalkulat) li jiehu l-presidenza tal-Unjoni Ewropea jekk ma tafx din hija biss formalita’ ghax gia hemm zewg presidenti tal-UE.
Tinkwetax habib. Fil-gid ingawdu fid-deni inbatu , imma kollha kemm ahna int inkluz.
These people have no shame.
And no morals, ideals or principles, either! What they have is a raw, all- consuming craving at clawing up to the top no matter what, in true the-end-justifies-the-means fashion.
The paper-thin veneer of apparent civility cultivated duing Sant’s stewardshio of the Labour Party is rapidly disintegrating even as the true Mintoffian element slowly re-emerges to claim its own.
He probably honestly thinks that everybody else is a gullible moron like himself.
I admire you so much, Daphne! I do not think we have anybody like you in Malta, who calls a spade a spade. I think you are so courageous as well. Few are courageous here! You must have enemies in high places and enemies who will be in high places.
I worry about you. I hope that you have good security and protection.
Thank you for all, Daphne
For God’s sake Silvio get a life! I almost brought up my tea reading that! There again maybe it’s Daffy writing under another name or that sister with the hair lice.
[Daphne – No, James Tyrrell, it isn’t. He is a real person with a real name. And do please stop calling yourself Beowulf. Find yourself a hobby instead and stop getting involved in the daily life of small island states. You have become a professional troll. You work for Caterpillar, right? No wonder you’re so bored. Throw yourself under one of them and put an end to it all. You’ll be a fancy striped corpse.]
James Tyrell, somebody posted a comment in reply to you here http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110906/local/lawyer-decides-not-to-defend-cases-in-court-presided-by-his-sister.383589
I’m reproducing it verbatim so that you won’t have to wander away from this blog.
“Mr Chris Gatt
Yesterday, 17:35
Once more Mr Tyrrell shines through with comments of amazing chop-logic.
Writing off obvious conflicts of interest as ‘these things are bound to happen’, is exactly the sort of small mind mentality one would have expected to hear in Ireland… 20 years ago. Luckily that island has moved on and become a civilised democracy which it has been my pleasure to visit a number of times. Hopefully the same will be said soon in Malta.
As regards withdrawing ‘about time’ comments, are you kidding? Why did it take a European Court of Human Rights to state the obvious (and here I blame the cronyism of the Nationalist Party and its lawyers also). If Mr Tyrrell is happy to defend our legal system please go ahead. To the rest of us it is yet another symbol of what is wrong with this country, along with the sad political situation, an immoral moral authority called the Church , and a moribund media which is controlled by the political parties
If Mr Tyrrell is happy being part of all that has destroyed this country and enjoys playing unelected White Knight to the Labour party, by all means be my guest. But if Dr Gonzi had trouble putting together a team, i think Dr Muscat has his work cut out for him trying to get half a cabinet from the hip of fools he has collected.”
Not quite Caterpillar, Daphne. More like F G Wilson of Larne, Northern Ireland: http://www.4ni.co.uk/31168x516x24_fg-wilson-engineering-ltd-larne-antrim.htm
Well, or so he says here: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/the-inside-job/2008/12/22/caterpillar-cuts-pay-hard-times-in-peoria , look:
”
Hey folks you are not alone. I work for FG Wison Engineering in Larne N. Ireland, which is part of Caterpillar, and people are being laid off as I write this. I know the company is doing its best to stay afloat and I guess all we can do is pray. The company employs 3500 here and that doesn’t include supply companies, which would fold along with it. Keep the faith folks and hopefully we will come out the other side bigger and better!
James A. Tyrrellof 4:50PM December 22, 2008″
God I love this blog. It’s a little meeting place for Beaky and her retard friends. I’m assuming ‘M’ can’t actually spell moron. I have no doubt James can speak for himself however perhaps you should explain to ‘M’ just how easy it is to set up an email account and the fact that you can pick a name from a hat. You could further explain just how popular the name James is in the UK and indeed how popular the name Tyrrell is in Ireland. I could set one up for him or her or it if you like, something along the lines of [email protected] sounds good. How am I getting on with my wife and kids in Malta by the way?
[Daphne- Why do I get the feeling you ran out of snuff videos, Tyrrell?]
“Till then, Dr Herrera said, it was common practice for lawyers to appear before relatives who happened to be members of the judiciary. In truth there were no legal grounds for asking for an abstention.”
I am genuinely appalled by Dr. Hererra’s flippant approach to conflict of interest. He refers to legal grounds. Has he never heard of ethics? Can a member of the judiciary be truly impartial and be seen to be impartial by all and in all cases?
Dr. Herrera claims that this also happened in the Mifsud Bonnici family. It was unethical whoever did it. It reflects badly on the Maltese judiciary and legal profession if it had to be a judgement of the European Court of Human Rights for them to realise.
Il-Herreras jahsbu li kulhadd jahsibha bhalhom.
Ergajt ilqatt il-musmar fuq rasu, Daphne.
Ah! A comment posted to times online to the effect of this blog was not published yesterday. Wonder why?