Court cases are being delayed as police officers are “frequently” not available to escort the accused from the lock-up, Magistrate Audrey Demicoli said yesterday.

Whenever a person at the Corradino Correctional Facility in Paola has a court hearing he is transported to Valletta in the prison van.

Once in court, the person is kept in a lock-up until his case is heard and then accompanied to the courtroom by a police escort.

These police officers fall under the responsibility of the prison authorities, sources explained.

Magistrate Demicoli pointed out that two cases scheduled for 9am yesterday could not start on time because officers were not available.

As a result, the court cases scheduled for the day were all delayed.

Irritated by the situation, she said this was happening “frequently” and verbalised the situation in the court’s records.

She ordered a copy of the records be sent to the director of the Corradino Correctional Facility and the Home Affairs Ministry.

She also ordered that the Parliamentary Secretary for Justice be informed about the situation.

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