Delayed murder trials deny victims timely justice, Daphne Foundation warns

Delays in Malta’s criminal justice system are denying victims and their families timely justice, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation has warned, pointing to the trial of Stephen Caruana for the wilful homicide of Neville Baldacchino, more than 17 years after the killing.

Caruana was acquitted in 2026 of a homicide that took place in December 2008. The organisation said the delay is symptomatic of “severe and systemic” problems within Malta’s courts.

In a report titled Justice at Risk: The Impact of Delayed Legal Proceedings in Wilful Homicide Cases in Malta, the NGO said Malta is failing to meet its obligations under national and international law to ensure fair hearings within a reasonable time.

The group warned that prolonged proceedings increase the risk of accused persons absconding, dying, or being declared unfit to stand trial, while witnesses’ memories fade and evidence may be lost or become inadmissible as laws change.

In the Baldacchino case, the house where the victim was killed was later demolished and replaced by a block of flats.

Despite having one of the highest rates of court expenditure in Europe, Malta has one of the smallest judiciaries per capita and one of the lowest case resolution rates, the report said. On average, around six murders are committed each year, but only about 1.5 murder cases are concluded annually.

As a result, nearly half of homicide cases committed and arraigned between 2010 and 2020 remain pending, contributing to a growing backlog of unresolved cases.

The organisation said Malta ranks among the worst-performing EU member states in terms of the length of judicial proceedings, noting that the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission and the European Court of Human Rights have repeatedly flagged systemic delays. It also pointed to recurring recommendations in the European Commission’s Rule of Law reports urging Malta to improve judicial efficiency.

The organisation called on the authorities to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the justice system to identify the causes of delays and to take swift action to reduce the backlog.

“Victims and their families deserve no less,” the statement said.