[WATCH] Judicial letters to be made available online

Justice ministry launches scanning services for acts presented in the First Hall of the Civil Court and makes judiciary letters available online

Justice minister Owen Bonnici
Justice minister Owen Bonnici
Judicial letters to be made available online

Justice minister Owen Bonnici has said that lawyers will be able to post judicial letters through an online system, leading to better efficiency and to better safeguarding of citizen’s rights.

“Lawyers and legal procurators will be able to present judicial letters that do not require an oath to be taken, without having to physically be at the Registry office,” Bonnici said, adding that the process would save time for the lawyers themselves and ensure that cases are not lost merely because of office times.

Bonnici said that some 8,486 of these letters had been presented throughout 2015, and that the letters are posted for various cases, including to hold someone responsible for damages their decisions might cause, to ask for due payments from debtors and even before opening any court proceedings against the government among others.

The minister also explained that the service was one of two being launched today in order improve the efficiency of court proceedings.

“In May we started scanning acts related to cases in the First Hall of the Civil Court,” he said, adding that in 2015, some 20,000 documents of the kind, and that the court would also be scanning documents filed before May.

Bonnici explained that the acts would be accessible for lawyers and for individuals involved in the cases themselves. He added that the new system would ensure that any lost documentation would have a backup and that cases are not deferred due to administrative issues.

Bonnici added that the initiatives all sought to make the legal profession simpler and to make the judicial system swifter and more efficient.