Reference is made to Eddy Privitera’s letter on ‘AG’s time-barred action’ (The Sunday Times, June 3).

Perhaps readers who have received bills for unpaid judicial costs due to the government would do well to really take well informed legal advice before deciding not to pay rather than rely on the vague content of that letter.

In the light of Mr Privitera’s rather dogmatic assertions on the applicable period of prescription, it must at least be humbly clarified that the government’s position is to the effect that judicial costs due by virtue of a final judgment of a court do not need a fresh action to be collected.

These do not therefore fall within the purview of Article 2156 (g) of the Civil Code (the five-year prescriptive period for filing actions “of the Government for the payment of judicial fees, customs or other dues”) but the prescriptive period applicable is that which applies to all amounts due by final judgment whether to the government or to private parties. The period of prescription is therefore that of 30 years in terms of Article 2143 of the Civil Code.

Of course, if the judicial fees claimed are not due under a final judgment, Article 2156 (g) would apply, but the revenue collection effort undertaken by the Office of the Attorney General over the last years has not been focused on such cases, normally involving very small amounts, but on amounts due under final judgments.

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