Labour MP Joe M. Sammut has insisted in parliament that drivers should not be obliged to switch on lights before they drive into tunnels and off before they drive out, during daylight hours.

This was something which was demanded practically only in Malta and was catching many people unawares, with wardens waiting at the end of tunnels to fine them, Dr Sammut said in an adjournment speech. It was a typical example how the central government was shirking its responsibility and transferring it to the people, who had to remember to switch on their car lights before entering a tunnel even during the day.

This was ridiculous, and a legal notice should be issued to remove this obligation.

Earlier, Dr Sammut welcomed the publication of a legal notice obliging wardens to stop vehicles they booked for infringements, except in exceptional cases.

These wardens should now be told that gone was the time when they hid behind corners and dished out indiscriminate bookings, he said.

Dr Sammut suggested that the wardens should also be deployed to ensure that beaches and the sea were kept clean. For example, he had seen cases where waste was dumped from boats and fuel was allowed to leak into the sea while boats were washed. At St Paul's Bay he had also seen water mixed with cement flowing freely into the sea.

Dr Sammut also spoke on Tuesday during the debate on the bill to amend the Code of Organisation and Civil Procedure.

He said that one of the main arguments being made by the opposition was over the method of notification. In terms of this bill, a creditor could demand payment of a debt not exceeding Lm5,000 through an official letter served on the debtor. That letter would constitute an executive title if it was not contested within 30 days.

Dr Sammut said there should be certainty that the debtor was properly notified. There could be various instances where the debtor did not actually receive the notification and was thus not in a position to reply within 30 days, such as when a person, following separation proceedings, would have moved house but not officially changed his address.

Rather than a law to change procedure, it would have been better had the persons presiding the courts been authorised to penalise those who started cases needlessly.

The biggest problem in the current procedures, he said, was actually in the execution of judgments, and a study of this sector was needed. A possibility which could be considered was for the judge or magistrate who delivered judgment to also oversee the execution of the sentence.

Dr Sammut also discussed other aspects of the administration of justice. He suggested that space should be created within the court building for the storage of items which were seized, so that sale by auction would not take long to be held.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.