Commission for justice reform publishes second report

The commission entrusted with the reform of the Maltese justice system has put forward 293 recommendations in its second report published today.

A third report will be presented in October to include the consolidation of the previous two reports and additional recommended measures.

Parliamentary secretary for justice Owen Bonnici reiterated government's commitment in bring justice in line with EU suggestions.

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"Our goal is to give citizens seeking justice timely democratic access and to reduce the backlog of pending cases which in itself hinder our country's competitiveness," Bonnici said.

Commission chairman Giovanni Bonello, judge emeritus of the European Court of Human Rights, said the second report focused on legal aid, the Gozo court, the Appeals' Court, and the proposed set-up of a new prosecution service.

"The reform of the legal aid is very much needed as it is over 150 years old. It is high time that changes are carried out to reflect today's realities. The institution today is not giving results, not because of the workers, but because the system needs to be updated, its formation changed," Bonello said.

The former ECHR judge reiterated that the prosecutor's office shouldn't be in the hands of the Attorney General, as the latter was playing a dual role as government attorney and public prosecutor.

He also called for a revision of the Commission for the Administration of Justice, the judicial watchdog, "which along the years has shown us both its weaknesses and strengths".

The recommendations put forward are various, some of which only require "a change in mentality" - Bonello said - while others require a change in law or the Constitution. Others, Bonello said, may require a financial cost.

The Commission includes judge emeritus Philip Sciberras, and lawyers Kevin Aquilina and Ramona Frendo.