Justice delayed

Reading about court cases going back many years makes me ashamed of our system of justice.

The case of Doris May Mounfield is one example. I take this opportunity to congratulate her (I presume that she is still alive) for being awarded Lm63,700 by our courts as compensation for her case against Holiday Resort Ltd, but at the same time I would also like to apologise on behalf of the Maltese public for the long and heartbreaking years it took our courts to settle her case which goes back to 1987.

Nineteen years are a lifetime. Why does it take so long for our law courts to settle cases? How can we have confidence in our courts when we are treated in this manner? The principle that "justice delayed is justice denied" has yet to enter into our courts' vocabulary.

Something must be done to improve the system. All efforts so far have failed miserably as the long delays continue unabated with the consequent hardship of those concerned.

This is not justice. It is antithetical to justice.

It is also shameful of our elected representatives not to have done anything concrete to eliminate this gross inefficiency and indifference by our courts.