Is it important for most Maltese as well as settlers in our island to read at least one of our newspapers a day? Of course, it is, at least if one wishes to know what is happening in our islands as well as in the rest of the world.
Like most people, I manage daily to get hold of one newspaper. If possible, I like to read the Times of Malta as the English text in it is always fluid and makes sense.
Our newspapers report on subjects that sometimes deal with interesting subjects as well as others which are less interesting and which, in most cases, call for urgent action by our authorities.
The Times of Malta of June 5 illustrates very well my point. Reading the good news about one’s country nearly always gives one a good feeling. For example, one feels happy that, on page 4, there was an article entitled ‘Malta starts a drive to diversify its tourism’, which points out that a number of German and French tourists are expected to arrive during our summer months.
Yet again, one feels that the article was not complete. There was no mention of our numerous tourists coming from Great Britain.
However, it is hoped that, during the next couple of weeks, a decision will be taken in order to give British tourists the same advantages as the French and the Germans in order to visit Malta.
Next, we read on page 5 that Gozo lawyers were returning to work after a pledge by a minister. This is most unusual. However, it can be easily explained.
Gozo lawyers were refusing to attend court hearings. The lawyers were demanding improvements to the environment and facilities of the courthouse in Victoria.
What does the court expect if it takes years to decide on a simple way forward?
I don’t remember a situation in the past where a so-called strike was being called by any lawyers in our islands.
One immediately asks: what is happening?
Apparently, case files and other important documents were being lost in the IT system. Due to staff shortages at the court registry, applications for urgent cases, such as injunctions, were taking too long to reach the magistrates for a preliminary decision.
On page 6, an article stated that four new judges had been chosen. However, are four new judges enough in order to satisfy in time the many cases that are taking years to be judged?
In my opinion, no. Not by a long chalk.
First, we must realise that these four judges are not new to the justice department of the law courts since they were already magistrates. Therefore, the increase in one sector means a decrease in the number in another sector, that of magistrates.
I asked myself what steps could be taken in these circumstances so that court decisions which are taking so many years can be decided quicker.
I would immediately replace the positions vacated by the four new judges with four magistrates as well as choose another 10 hardworking lawyers as magistrates and, at the same time, promote a few present magistrates to the role of judges.
One reads on page 7 a story entitled ‘Dalli’s daughters’ case deadlocked – magistrate’. Three years since criminal proceedings regarding money laundering charges against the daughters of former European commissioner John Dalli had started very little progress has been made.
There were four foreign nationals who, together with Dalli’s two daughters, were charged with misappropriation of funds, making a false declaration to a public authority and falsification of documents. Three of the four foreign accused have since died and the last of the four accused is in poor health.
What does the court expect if it takes years to decide on a simple way forward?
It is most unkind if not criminal to keep accused people biting their nails until, finally, perhaps 10 years later, judgment is pronounced.
I am reminded of a case where the father of a child was accused by his estranged wife of corrupting their daughter. Ten years later, a judgment was finally pronounced and the accused was acquitted of all his ex-wife’s accusations. Is it right that this poor man had to suffer for 10 long years before a favourable judgment was pronounced by the court?
On page 13, one found the editorial entitled ‘Corruption; we need to do better’. In 2019, the Council of Europe had warned that Malta’s criminal justice system was at risk of paralysis.
Failure to proceed against top officials facing criminal allegations created the belief that these people enjoyed total impunity.
This is wrong and encourages these people not only to keep acting wrongly but also to increase their guilt by freely committing other similar or even worse acts.
GRECO, the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption monitoring body, expects that even though Malta has dealt successfully with four recommendations out of the nine that it had made there is still a lot of work that has been left untouched and remains unresolved.
Even though Prime Minister Robert Abela had taken the matter in hand in an effort to resolve this impasse, GRECO expects more.
It has given our island until the end of March next year to come up with a definite solution for the other five pending points.
Maurice Mizzi, businessman