Reform of the justice system is high on the agenda. The Labour Party has pledged to implement a holistic reform in this sec­tor. The promised reform is wide-ranging and concerns various aspects of the justice system: from the way the judiciary is appointed to the way it operates, from the judiciary’s conditions of work to how the Commission for the Adminis­tration of Justice can be further strengthened, from ways how to increase transparency and accountability to practical solutions to expedite court proceedings.

We are committed to deliver this reform- today more than ever before.

Following the general election, we lost no time in appointing a Law Reform Commission, headed by former European Courts of Human Rights judge Giovanni Bonello. This commission worked around the clock and came up with 450 measures in less than nine months. During that period, the commission embarked on a vast consultation exercise with all the interested parties.

We hit the ground running and started implementing measure after measure. We reformed drug legislation, included new rights in case of arrest or detention, extended plea-bargaining, limited the previously unfettered discretion of the Attorney General in certain cases, extended the competence of the Court of Magistrates, introduced changes to existing committal proceedings, introduced the Court Attorney system... the list goes on and on. In doing this, we kept the stakeholders on board.

Reform is carrying momentum. Tomorrow, for instance, a number of changes in civil procedure – inspired by suggestions of the Bonello Commission – will be put into force.  These changes will make civil procedures faster, cheaper and will deliver justice in a shorter time. The results are there for everyone to see.

The Nationalist Party has been completely absent from the scene. When the Bonello Commission back in 2013 invited the Opposition to submit its views and proposals, it received nothing. The Opposition had absolutely no suggestions to make.

The Nationalist Party resorted to an unfair strategy of pillorying, bullying and spinning of lies to cover its ineptitude

Recently, the Opposition decided to change tack and start lecturing us on the need to reform the way in which our country’s members of the judiciary are appointed. Forgive me, but I take the Opposition with a pinch of salt.

Simon Busuttil’s credentials are very poor, to say the least. The proud author of the 2008 and 2013 PN electoral manifestos failed to mention the issue of reform in the way the judiciary is appointed in those two documents. This means that had the Nationalist Party been elected at the last election, change would not have been on the cards.

It is interesting to remind the public that during 25 years of Nationalist government, close relatives of Cabinet members were appointed to the Bench, and subsequently to the post of chief justice. The same party that is crying foul forgot that this issue was also highlighted by the European Court of Human Rights, which had described our courts as an “unacceptable blissful all-in-the family jamboree”.

At the time I do not recall Busuttil lifting a finger to propose a change in the way the judiciary is appointed.

Busuttil and the Nationalist Party’s credibility on this matter is directly proportional to the scale of the earth-shattering reform it brought to the system in 25 years it spent in government.

This government, on the other hand, has clearly put pen to paper on the issue of institutional change and has promised to revise the way the judiciary is chosen to increase transparency and scrutiny.

In recent weeks the Nationalist Party resorted to an unfair strategy of pillorying, bullying and spinning of lies to cover its ineptitude and its unwillingness at bringing meaningful reforms to a system that it protected from any change for a quarter of a century.

We, on the other hand, will keep delivering change – we will keep our word.

owen.bonnici@gov.mt

Owen Bonnici is Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government.

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