Chief Justice laments lack of human resources, limited working space

The opening of the forensic year was an opportunity for Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri to urge government to invest in human resources and better working space for members of the judiciary.

Reflecting on the criticism raised by the Commission for Justice Reform - chaired by judge emeritus Giovanni Bonello - on the delay of court sentences, Camilleri insisted that no reference to the weak administrative support was made.

"There are currently no less than 29 vacant secretary posts which mean that no less than 13 members of the judiciary do not have the necessary support to operate efficiently," he said.

A number of these secretaries would also be responsible of updating the courts' IT system. As for court messengers, Camilleri said there were 10 vacant posts that have been vacant since 2012.

Secretaries, messengers and deputy registrars were important in providing the necessary support to members of the judiciary. "Cases must be regularly updated, statements transcribed and documents collated. This work cannot be carried out by a judge or a magistrate," Camilleri said.

According to the Chief Justice, there were also "frequent resignations" of judiciary assistants.

The lack of human resources was not the only problem flagged by the Chief Justice who complained over small and shared magistrate chambers. "The problem of space has now become acute," he warned.

Speaking on the justice reform, Camilleri once again harshly criticised the set up of the Commission for Justice Reform "that lacked the presence of persons who worked in the criminal justice system".

"This was evidently clear from a number of shortcomings and weak recommendations put forward by the commission. I don't want to be misunderstood because this exercise is undoubtedly necessary... however it is also clear that the commission was under pressure to deliver in a short time."

In his opening remarks, the Chief Justice expressed sorrow over the events that "marred the judiciary" near the end of last year, referring to the alleged bribery and trading in influence which a former member of the bench was involved in.

"The judiciary was shaken from its foundations and the people's trust was radically hindered. Every member of the judiciary was now under the spotlight and every decision was being suspected. No bigger damage than this could have taken place.

"It was not only about judges and magistrates feeling humiliated and hurt with the turnout of events, but it was also about gaining back the public's trust."