PN wants Justice Minister's resignation amidst warnings of ‘court system collapse’

The Nationalist Party has called for the resignation of Justice Minister Jonathan Attard after magistrates and judges warned of a court system “on the brink of collapse”.

"After almost two years since the appointment of Jonathan Attard as Minister for Justice, instead of implementing the necessary improvements, the justice system in our country has deteriorated and is now in crisis. If Minister Jonathan Attard does not resign voluntarily, it is imperative that the Prime Minister removes him from office without any further delay," stated PN spokesperson for justice, Karol Aquilina, on Thursday.

Aquilina accused the minister of failing to address serious issues existing in the justice system, and instead blaming others.

“Maltese and Gozitan citizens, as well as businesses, have fallen victim to Minister Jonathan Attard's failures, and they are now enduring the consequences of inadequate planning and insufficient investment in our country's justice system,” Aquilina claimed.

He added that a review of the financial allocation for the justice sector next year is needed, as without enough resources, courts would not be in a position to deliver justice within a reasonable time.

Reacting to the appointment of three new judges on Wednesday, Aquilina said the government is mistakenly believing that the solution to the problem is to appoint even more new judges, rather than providing the necessary staff and resources.

Aquilina also called for an improvement in the wages of the workers of the Court Services Agency. According to him, this would eventually start to draw more academically prepared individuals with knowledge of legal and procedural practices.