Two genetics experts who run Malta’s only accredited DNA lab have taken umbrage at recent comments made in court, which gave the impression “there is a gap” when it comes to forensic investigations.
“There is the misconception that there is nothing in terms of forensic DNA testing in Malta. It’s true that the state lab has been abandoned but this does not mean the country has not moved forward,” said Marisa Cassar, the director of the company Mls Bio DNA.
Last Thursday, a magistrate described the state of Malta’s forensic lab as “alarming” after hearing there was no equipment to analyse blood samples and establish DNA profiles.
A few days later, forensic expert Anthony Abela Medici said the country should invest in a state-owned DNA laboratory and added that Malta’s forensic laboratory has been in a state of “abandon ship” since 2001. He insisted that the DNA lab should be state-owned if quality standards were to be ensured.
But Dr Cassar and the technical manager at the lab Claire Bartolo, who both have PhDs in genetics, stressed that their lab had all the quality certificates in place – and that this came at a huge expense.
The lab had ISO (International Standards’ Organisation 1) accreditation for the forensic tests carried out since 2006.
Every year, it had to participate in proficiency testing, calibrate the equipment and perform internal quality checks. Accreditation was renewed annually following a yearly inspection by experts in the field. Maintaining such a stringent quality system cost over €20,000 a year.
They also rejected the idea that their laboratory made a lot of money from court-related work.
“We are not raking in money as people might think. We haven’t made enough profit to be able to take any dividends since we set up in 2006. Then, there is the huge responsibility,” said Dr Cassar, stressing she felt her lab had contributed to society. To add to the financial strain on the lab, the laboratory is only paid once a final report on a forensic case is presented in court, which means that, if a case never makes it to court, the laboratory may never be paid.
While preferring not to reveal the amount charged to the courts, due to commercial sensitivity, Dr Cassar said it did not always cover the hours spent in court for cases where she was called to testify.
Since the lab was set up, it had handled about 500 forensic cases – ranging from rape to murder. Work included testing for the presence of blood and other body fluids followed by DNA testing.
Dr Cassar and Dr Bartolo stressed that the Government never had DNA testing facilities for forensic purposes. The police were in the process of setting up a DNA database and did not carry out investigative DNA testing.
In the past, samples were sent abroad with a court expert, costing the country far more than the lab charged now, they said.