A 74-year-old man has been awarded €5,000 in damages after a court found that a delay of over 40 years for two civil cases to be decided was in violation of his fundamental human rights.

Zakkarija Calleja told the court that he had spent the last 43 years dealing with two court cases filed in 1970 and in 1971. The cases, both of a civil nature, were in the names "Ignazio Gatt vs Zakkarija Calleja" and "Zakkarija Calleja vs Ignazio Gatt and were both heard by the First Hall of the Civil Court.

According to Mr Calleja the exaggerated delay in these two cases led to a violation of his fundamental human right to a fair hearing within a reasonable time.

The two cases, Mr Calleja said, presented no particularly difficult legal issues. He added that Mr Gatt had died in the course of the proceedings and his heirs had filed a constitutional action against the Attorney General on the basis of unreasonable delays. Mr Gatt's heirs had been awarded €12,000 in damages in July 2013.

The court heard that the cases complained of were about a request for payment of Lm12,170 being the price of animal feeds.

In her judgment, Madam Justice Felice said that Mr Calleja had not been responsible for the delays in the proceedings. The cases had been heard by a whole series of judges and court experts until they were finally decided. Mr Calleja had also filed a number of applications for the court to conclude the proceedings.