Chief Justice rues ‘campaigning’ media interest in court decisions

Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri on media reports on court decisions • Video Ray Attard

Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri has called into question the use of the media and its involvement in campaigns that could pressure the judiciary into reaching certain verdicts – undoubtedly an indictment on the media interest in the Daniel Holmes case.

Without mentioning any particular cases, Camilleri told lawyers and the judiciary I his address for the opening of the forensic year, that the media should consider whether they were serving the public interest in creating such “pressures”.

“In situations like these, if the courts issue a verdict that corresponds to that which the media expects, it would create the impression that the courts have ceded to media pressure. On the other hand, if the courts come to a verdict that does not correspond with what is expected, accusations fly – some of which have been very defamatory – that the courts are trying to oppose the media itself,” Camilleri said.

He said that in both cases, the courts’ impartiality would be undermined. “I invite the people of the free press to examine whether seeing the administration of justice undermined in public, is desirable and in the public interest.”

Camilleri conceded that members of the judiciary were not above criticism. “If the judiciary is not under continuous scrutiny, its performance can suffer and not endeavour to improve itself.

“But critics have to be balanced and realistic, and not lump all the problems of the justice system onto the judiciary, which itself has suffered a lack of financial, human and material resources.”