Sunday arraignment of two youngsters

I refer to the item under the heading Youngsters Conditionally Discharged After Fight Over Mobile Phone (September 23). The item concerned two persons arraigned in court on Sunday.

It was reported that the presiding magistrate rebuked the prosecuting police officer saying the arraignment could easily have waited until Monday, when the accused could have been charged within normal court hours. The prosecuting officer was reported to have apologised and explained that he had arraigned the persons in question on Sunday since he had concluded his investigations and did not want to keep them in detention any longer.

In this instance the prosecuting officer acted in the most correct manner. He acted in the way that was expected of him by the laws of the land and by the Constitution of Malta. If he had waited till Monday to arraign when on Sunday he had concluded his investigations he would have been in violation of the individual's fundamental human rights.

There was nothing for which he needed to apologise.