The Labour Party is set to fast-track a bill to reform magisterial inquiries, announcing it will bring the proposed reforms to parliamentary debate next Tuesday.

Prime Minister Robert Abela announced changes to the way private citizens can request the opening of a magisterial inquiry last December, following a flurry of requests by lawyer Jason Azzopardi.

Bills usually take far longer before being debated in Parliament and eventually becoming law, sometimes taking years.

On Thursday, the PL announced that the party's parliamentary group agreed to set the debate for early next week. 

As it stands, individuals can request a magistrate to open a criminal inquiry by directly contacting the court. The planned changes will alter that procedure.

Under the new system, citizens will first be required to file a police report and wait six months before being allowed to submit a request to the courts, where a judge - not a magistrate - will decide whether to proceed.

Additionally, only evidence that is admissible in court will be permitted in private citizen submissions.

Other planned changes will grant victims and their relatives the right to be kept informed of ongoing investigations, and the process for appointing court experts will also be regulated.

On Thursday, the Labour Party claimed that the courts and several lawyers praised the “courageous step.”

“The reform will strengthen citizens’ rights, empower each party involved in the process, introduce legal safeguards for suspects in line with Constitutional Court pronouncements, and strengthen the rights of victims and relatives”, the party said.

The changes will also protect those who have experienced unfair treatment, the Labour Party added.

Times of Malta understands that the government plans to prioritise the magisterial inquiry bill throughout the parliamentary process and hopes to enact it into law soon.