Higher registration tariffs imposed by the courts were illegal because they were not backed by law, lawyers complained in a judicial protest.

Legal sources said the new tariffs meant that fees for filing a court case had increased by about €200.

A total of 43 lawyers filed the protest in the First Hall of the Civil Court against the law courts’ director general, the civil courts’ registrar, the criminal courts’ registrar, the Justice Minister and the parliamentary secretary responsible for justice.

The new tariffs were not mentioned in the law. They were illegal because the House of Representatives never approved a law introducing them

The lawyers said the higher registration tariffs came into force on January 1.

The revised fees must be paid whenever court documents are registered in court, such as when a new case is filed.

They said the new tariffs were not mentioned in the law governing fees and tariffs.

Thus, they were illegal, the House of Representatives never having approved a law introducing them.

This “unprecedented” move was also exposing the lawyers to complications with clients as they found themselves in a position of having to ask clients to pay fees not covered by the law, they said.

The lawyers called on the courts to stop imposing the illegal tariffs and refund the money charged illegally.

They held the courts liable for damages.

Lawyer Edward Debono signed the protest.

Justice shadow minister Jason Azzopardi expressed concern that the government was giving a bad example, allegedly breaking the law.

In a statement, Dr Azzopardi said the government had been collecting taxes from the courts behind people’s backs and without Parliament’s approval.

The judicial protest was unprecedented and of concern, and the fact that the Justice Minister believed he was above the law and ordered the courts to raise tariffs, which were not the result of any law approved by Parliament, showed that the government did not care about the law.