Justice Minister Jonathan Attard assured parliament on Tuesday that slashing court delays is an absolute priority for the government.

Speaking during question time, Attard said work on reforms is ongoing.

He said it was clear Malta needed to modernise its court procedures.

One of the time-saving measures mentioned by the minister was the doing away of a cumbersome referrals process during the compilation of evidence phase.

Known as rinviji, this is when evidence presented in court by the prosecution is referred to the office of the attorney general, who is given a one-month window to decide on the way forward. This can happen multiple times in the pre-trial process.

Attard said that of the 80 pending trials by jury, only 15 are actually in a position to take place.

He said the other pending trials are subject to appeals and other procedures.

Attard and a number of Opposition MPs also sparred over a recent GRECO assessment that concluded Malta only fully implemented two of the 23 recommendations by the anti-corruption body.

Hitting back, the justice minister said none of recommendations were implemented under a PN government.