Nationalist MP Franco Debono has reiterated his call for a Drugs Court and an updating of the legislation on prohibited drugs.

The provisions regarding possession and cultivation needed to be reviewed and the penalty should fit the crime, he said.

Speaking during the three-part introduction of his Private Member’s Motion on the judiciary sector, Dr Debono said a very worrying aspect was how the Attorney General had discretion to decide whether an accused person should appear before a magistrate or a judge, with huge differences in the sentence that could be imposed. There was no law to direct the AG, whose discretion was absolute. The AG should have some discretion but within guidelines and a requirement to explain his decision, which might be contested.

He disagreed with proposed amendments to the Criminal Law about raising the penalties for prostitution. These would be useless and only serve to push the practice underground. What were needed were measures to prevent white slave trafficking and exploitation.

Except for issues of national security, ministers should not be involved in the authorisation of warrants for interception of communication, a role that should be assumed by the courts. He welcomed plans by Justice Minister Chris Said to amalgamate the Law Reform Commission with the Committee for the Consolidation of Laws.