Those questionable judiciary standards
We average citizens (some kindly refer to us as “animals”, “Ġaħan”, “idiots with no Maltese identity”) try to figure out what’s going on in our justice institutions via this paper’s reporting.
Some of us may have wondered about the validity of a recently reported judge’s decision sentencing to prison a young man who the court found had killed a pedestrian on a pavement while driving fast under the influence of drink, while another young man (in a presumed sober state) racing another car crashed into another vehicle, killing its driver but only got a suspended sentence.
The Malta law courtsWith respect to this reported judge’s opinion, if I were an average citizen juror, I wouldn’t have found any difference in the seriousness of the offence in these two cases (neither did the attorney general); Both caused involuntary homicide by dangerous and reckless driving.
Mind you, let’s be honest, if the young man who got away with a suspended sentence had been my son I would have be very relieved but that’s not the point, is it?
In my late teens, I had spent a week in Germany to stay with the family of a German youngster I had befriended in Malta. I was told that their town had recently been shocked by the killing of a pedestrian on a zebra crossing by a university student who got the expected prison sentence which would drastically affect his career. I was also warned not to walk on the grass as I might get a ticket. When I later worked in another north European country for almost a quarter century, I confirmed that northerners are disciplined not genetically but by upbringing and enforcement of deterrence.
Readers may also have been surprised by reports of apparently proven or admitted murder culprits being set free because the accused had not been interrogated in the presence of his lawyer.
Some readers might also recall the reported case (several decades ago) of a Maltese bank employee caught red-handed trying to defraud the bank of a very large sum of money. Soon after the court case started, it had to be abandoned because the case files were reportedly “lost”.
Is our post-colonial justice system up to European standards?
Albert Cilia Vincenti – Attard
A truly civil service
Recently, it was with trepidation that I went with a friend to Gattard House, in Blata l-Bajda, to get an e-ID from Identity Malta. Over the years, my experience of seeking assistance from government departments usually implied facing obfuscation and unexplainable delay, difficulty and bureaucracy.
It was, therefore, a most pleasant surprise for us to be dealt with by a most friendly and competent clerk called Jairzinho Zammit. With such a name, I presume his father was fanatical about the legendary Brazilian dream team of over 50 years ago. He made us feel at ease immediately as he processed our requests with friendliness and wit.
His skill in handling the web ensured that my friend’s ID was registered within minutes. As I did not have a smartphone, I was given crystal clear instructions on how to have it done on my computer.
On getting home, despite my relative incompetence, I managed the registration of my e-ID on my computer effortlessly.
I feel obliged to pay tribute to this exemplary behaviour and commitment. It lives up to the real meaning of a civil service.