New members of the judiciary should be appointed “with urgency” because of the extent of the current workload, the Association of Judges and Magistrates of Malta has said.

The association said on Wednesday that it is not possible for the judiciary in its current size to cope with existing work in an efficient and effective manner. 

Malta currently has a chief justice, 24 judges and 22 magistrates, with the last appointment of judiciary members dating back to April 2019, when three judges and three magistrates were appointed. Those appointments are being contested by NGO Repubblika before the European Court of Justice. 

A 2018 Council of Europe analysis of European judicial systems found that Malta's number of judges per 100,000 people was roughly half the European average. 

The association said that during its general meeting, members had agreed to insist with the Justice Ministry and the Court Services Agency that the courts are given all the necessary tools, both as regards to staff as well as IT equipment, to be able to function properly.

It also agreed that serious attempts needed to be made to update and improve the civil and criminal procedure legislation, to expedite proceedings before the court.

The association is now headed by Mr Justice Francesco Depasquale as president.

Its other members are Madame Justice Joanne Vella Cuschieri, secretary; Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, vice-president; Magistrate Josette Demicoli, treasurer; and Mr Justice Aaron Bugeja, international secretary.

Correction: A previous version dated the last round of judicial appointments to April 2016, instead of April 2019.