Victims of crime will now be able to claim compensation for any losses or expenses they incurred throughout the process of seeking justice, including wages lost for testifying, to further empower those who have suffered through violent crime to come forward, Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis announced on Wednesday. 

The measure is part of amendments to the Victims of Crime Act approved in parliament this week. 

While the changes have come about as part of the implementation of an EU directive, Zammit Lewis said that, more than ever, the rights of victims have to be strengthened and enforced. 

“The pandemic has made us acutely aware how challenging it is to make sure that victims of violent crime are protected and this is what gave us the impetus to ensure that these rights and services are available to our citizens,” he said. 

The minister said that the law was founded on five pillars; the respectful recognition of victims as victims, protection from retaliation or intimidation from the accused, holistic support, access to functioning justice, and compensation for victims. 

Among the amendments, victims will now have a right to have a person of trust as well as a legal representative supporting them throughout the process, and just as they have the right to decline one or both of these services, it must now be done both verbally and in writing, to ensure that victims have access to the best possible advice and support. 

While the case for compensation will be judged on a case by case basis, victims will have the opportunity to present a request for compensation on a number of fronts, including overseas travel for victims who are not Maltese, time and income lost for the victim throughout judicial proceedings, as well as any physical, emotional or psychological support the victim may seek to heal from trauma. 

Asked who would be administering and deciding on victim compensation cases, Zammit Lewis said that the ministry was in the process of creating a regulatory framework that would set out all the parameters of eligibility for compensation that would be implemented as subsidiary legislation in the coming days. 

“Ultimately we want to empower victims to stick with us throughout the entire process by offering our support, so as to lead to more successful prosecutions,” he said.