New site for Gozo court found after years-long saga, Justice Minister says

A new site has been found for the new Gozo court, Justice Minister Jonathan Attard told parliament on Tuesday.

Speaking during a debate on the budget, he said the government signed a promise of sale agreement for the building that will house a "new and modern" Gozo court, marking the potential start of a solution to a saga that has dragged on for years.

He did not say much else, though. He did not provide specific details about the exact location of the new building or the timeline for the development, but said he will be announcing further details "in the coming days".

Times of Malta understands the promise of sale is on an existing building that will be transformed into a law court.

Attard did say, however, that this move begins to solve a problem that, according to him, the Nationalist government "swept under the carpet".

"The need for investment in a new court in Gozo has long been felt," he said.

"What the PN swept under the carpet, we will find a solution for."

Years-long saga

The current Gozo Court, located in the heart of the Citadel, continues to operate in conditions that have long been criticised by both lawyers and the judiciary.

And the saga surrounding the relocation of the Gozo courts has stretched back to over a decade, spanning successive administrations and multipe abandoned proposals, and the issues resurfaces periodically in public debate.

The current building is widely considered too small to meet modern judicial needs. Its historical architecture creates significant challenges in terms of accessibility for disabled persons and security arrangements, and does not have adequate space for archives and offices.

The building was once a palace for the governor inside the Citadel.

The first significant proposal for a new court came under the Nationalist government, when a development application was filed to build the new courthouse at Pjazza L-Assedju t'Għawdex (Great Siege Square) in Victoria, a site currently used as a public car park.

The application was approved under a Labour government but the project never took off.

In 2016 it was shelved entirely, and following the 2017 general election, government launched a new proposal to build the courts in the Xewkija Industrial Zone, promising a smaller project with a planned completion date of 2022.

That plan was also abandoned and the government in 2022 launched a fresh market consultation to find a site for the new courthouse in Victoria or its whereabouts.