NGOs raise delayed justice concerns with EU's Rule of Law Commissioner

Civil society organisations met with European Commissioner Michael McGrath to demand action regarding Malta’s justice system, media freedom, and anti-corruption efforts. 

Representatives from Aditus, Repubblika, and the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation spoke about the challenges to the functioning of Malta’s democratic institutions.

A major issue discussed was the inefficiency of the Maltese justice system, which the NGOs claim remains excessively slow and costly for victims. The NGOs pointed out a persistent lack of court digitalisation, noting that this failure continues even though Malta received specific EU funding intended to modernise the system. 

The NGOs called for the inclusion of criminal case data in the EU Justice Scoreboard to allow for more effective external monitoring of court performance.

The delegation also raised concerns about judicial independence, specifically regarding the appointment process for the Chief Justice. They argued that the appointment should be determined by the judiciary itself rather than by politicians. 

The NGOs also lamented the state of the recommendations following the public inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Nearly five years after the inquiry’s report was published, the NGOs stressed that many recommendations remain only partially implemented or entirely ignored, which they believe reflects a lack of political will to address systemic failures and protect journalists.

The organisations further spoke to McGrath about the removal of the right for individual citizens to petition for magisterial inquiries and the practice of terminating money laundering prosecutions based on "backroom tax settlements". 

Finally, the groups expressed frustration over the lack of engagement between Maltese authorities and civil society, noting that the government has ignored EU recommendations for better public participation in lawmaking. 

The commissioner pledged to relay civil society’s desire for a more active dialogue on rule of law issues to the Maltese government.