[WATCH] Empty courtrooms on Monday and Friday: minister says judges ‘must get to work’

Empty courtrooms on Monday and Friday: minister says judges ‘must get to work’

How long did your court case take until a decision was meted out by a judge or magistrate?

Justice minister Edward Zammit Lewis has admitted that court delays in Malta have to be addressed and has pledged focus on the administrative reform of the courts in 2021, by tackling compilations of evidence, inquiries, the family courts, depenalisation, and digitisation.

With 80 criminal cases still pending the appointment of a jury, Zammit Lewis admitted the delays were down to problems of efficiency but said he had embarked on a reform for more courtrooms with better digital facilities.

But he complained that a minority in the judiciary was reluctant to embrace the necessary changes.

He said the silver lining in the COVID-19 pandemic was that the courts were still functioning.

He praised Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti for agreeing to reforms that were necessary to tackle the “exaggerated delays” in the conclusion of court sentences. “Nobody certainly questions the independence of our court, but rather the time it takes to reach sentencing.”

He reacted to suggestions that reluctant members of the judiciary should be disciplined for being uncooperative on changes, by saying he had reformed the system through which members of the Bench could be called to account for their actions.

Zammit Lewis said the judiciary should be accountable just as politicians were accountable, listing the measures introduced under this administration to improve the conditions of the judiciary.

But he promised he would be vociferous in his role to see the judiciary expedite sentencing. He also said it was unacceptable that compilations of evidence take years on end to be completed, with the

“There is something wrong because there are few cases happening on Mondays and Fridays,” host Reno Bugeja charged. Zammit Lewis did not deny this: “I appeal to the judiciary to realise that Monday and Friday are normal days of work, even during the pandemic. Indeed, I said that courtrooms should even be used in the afternoon. I will be digging deep into this, always while respecting the judiciary’s independence and impartiality.”

Zammit Lewis also announced that there should be more judges and magistrates, and that a sentencing policy drawn up by the judiciary should be implemented to ensure consistency on penalties.