Nicholas Azzopardi proces verbal

I refer to the editorial (August 16) where mention is made of the magisterial inquiry into the circumstances of the death of Nicholas Azzopardi.

The fact that The Times so casually and dismissively chose to cast unfounded doubts about my reasons at this stage not to give access to the public to the proces verbal in question by gratuitously qualifying them as "not entirely convincing" is, to put it very mildly, entirely inappropriate. The leader writer's reasons for doing so are the ones which are "not entirely convincing": he simply does not give any.

It should also be noted that references to the "report", "full report", "inquiry", "inquest" or "proces verbal" as if they are all one and the same thing is also inappropriate. The law refers to the document in question as the proces verbal which is to be signed by the Magistrate and includes any experts' reports and to which are annexed the depositions of witnesses and exhibits received in the course of the proceedings.