Justice minister defends 'transparent' witness protection programme

Justice minister Owen Bonnici has defended the witness protection programme, saying the amendments were passed through parliament and even accepted by the Opposition.

On Thursday Joe Giglio, the defence lawyer of Jason Galea – the man suspected of killing Mario Camilleri ‘l-Imniehru’ and his son Mario Junior – claimed that the criminal law was amended in March to accommodate Alfred Attard – the owner of the field where the Camilleri’s were found dumped in August 2013.

The measure, which police sources have said to be unique, grants witnesses physical protection by police. In addition, such witnesses would not be prosecuted for a crime while they are testifying against the principal or accomplice in the murder case.

The protected witness must prove to the satisfaction of the court that his evidence has helped the police, allowing the punishment for such crime to be diminished by one or two degrees.

While refusing to divulge on individual cases, Bonnici insisted that the criminal code amendments passed through parliament in March with the Opposition’s acceptance.

Addressing the press at the law courts, the justice minister announced a new court service whereby notifications in civil cases would be sent by email to the legal representatives of a party.

Bonnici explained that currently, parties in a civil suit receive notifications that are delivered by court marshals. However, the new measure will see notifications delivered by email to lawyers or legal representatives.

The service will be administered by court employees and is the latest in a series of new measures introduced in the last 12 months. In January, the system where lawyers are notified by SMS whenever their civil cases are put off was extended to the public.

Flanked by Law Commissioner Franco Debono, Bonnici said the service could be extended to criminal cases, however the minister explained that prior to implementing a widespread reform in criminal cases, a wide consultation process involving all stakeholders would be undertaken.

Among the legal amendments to criminal law, the government will introduce plea-bargaining in criminal cases that carry a minimum prison sentence of four years. This amendment means that an individual can plead guilty during the compilation of evidence before going to trial with the defense and prosecution negotiating the punishment.

In addition, the reforms will enable arrested persons a right to information, increase incentives for individuals to blow the whistle on criminal matters, and the harshening of penalties of sexual assault and abuse on children.

Bonnici also explained that the amalgamation of court registries in Malta and Gozo, as well as the use of emails and SMS’s to send notifications, have been a success towards reducing bureaucracy and increasing efficiency.