Most halls at the law courts are still using cassette tapes to record proceedings but digital equipment has been bought and is gradually being installed.
The government is also planning to bring another aspect of the justice system in line with the 21st century, recording police interrogations on video.
Last year, a number of lawyers appealed for interrogation of suspects to be filmed so claims of police abuse during questioning could be verified or denied with certainty.
The Times followed up a number of parliamentary questions tabled over the past 18 months by Nationalist MP Franco Debono to see whether there had been any progress.
“The (digital) recorders have been ordered and the first consignment delivered. Of the 12 recorders received so far, five have already been installed in the court halls while the rest are in the process of being installed,” a spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said, adding that the digital switchover has “so far” cost €15,000.
The second and final consignment should be received very shortly and would be installed in due course, the spokesman added.
There are 24 court halls in all.
The spokesman said that plans for the purchase of recording equipment for use during police investigations were in hand “with a view to proceeding with implementation in due course”. No indication of a timeframe was given.
So far, only interrogations dealing with “serious crimes” are audio recorded. However, once the facilities were upgraded to permit video recording, this would be done for all cases of crime, the spokesman said.
Asked if Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici felt that the police and the courts lagged behind the country’s drive towards excellence in IT, the spokesman said: “The upgrading of IT systems and the purchase of modern technology equipment is an ongoing process and this ministry is committed to maintaining this policy in all its line departments.”
But according to Dr Debono, who pressured the government into implementing the law giving suspects the right to access to a lawyer before interrogation, things are not moving fast enough.
He said the ministry’s replies were a “small consolation” and it was only after his question in Parliament in May 2010 that some progress was made on acquiring digital recorders. (In response to his original question, the government had predicted the system would cost about €130,000).
“It’s worrying that in 2011, where we have reached excellence in IT in so many areas, we are still dragging our feet in court. It worries me that cassette tapes are still used. Cassette tapes are anachronistic, impractical and are a snapshot of the situation in court today,” Dr Debono said, pointing out that many other “important and fundamental” aspects of the judicial system had yet to be modernised.