The portion of salaries exempt from garnishee orders in civil court cases has been nearly doubled from €698 to €1,233 monthly, to reflect the current cost of living and inflation.

The Justice Ministry said the revision - implemented through Article 382 of the Code of Organisation and Civil Procedure - will come into effect on January 1 through Legal Notice 302 of 2023.

“The amount of salary or wages not subject to attachment has not been revised since 1995,” Justice Minister Jonathan Attard said in a statement.

"At that time, parliament decided that the amount should be Lm300 (€698.81) per month - much more than the minimum wage. To strike a balance between the interest of the creditors and debtors, we applied the rate of inflation on the amount established 28 years ago."

Attard said that this revision was based on social necessities and data published by the National Statistics Office and the Central Bank.

Writs of attachment are usually used to freeze a defendant's assets pending the outcome of legal action.