Professor Nick Cowdery, a Commonwealth expert on procedural reforms to the legal system, has volunteered to be a consultant to Government over the ongoing justice reform.

Prof. Cowdery this morning said there was the need for a “systemic reform” that started from the stage of investigation and continued to measures in prison. Such reforms, he said, required changes in cultures built throughout the years.

Prof. Cowdery, who lives in Australia, arrived in Malta on Tuesday and has since met up with stakeholders in the justice reform including the Attorney General, the Chief Justice, members of the judiciary, the Chamber of Advocates, members of the Justice Reform Commission and the Law Commissioner.

He also visited the law courts where he sat in for a sitting that was held in English because the accused was foreign, Parliamentary Secretary for Justice Owen Bonnici said this morning during a press conference. Prof. Cowdery leaves Malta today. Government paid for his flight and accommodation in Malta but his services are free.

Prof. Cowdery, who is now retired served for 16 years as the Director of Public Prosecution in New South Whales. He recently delivered a paper, during a Commonwealth event held in London, about tacking case backlogs in the context of tight financial restraints. Dr Bonnici was present for the event.

The paper served as the basis for the discussions he had with the Maltese stakeholders. Dr Bonnici said that Prof. Cowdery will give recommendations to Government that will then decide on implementation.

He praised the ongoing reform, being led by Judge Giovanni Bonello, and said there seemed to be general agreement on most points even though, in some cases, recommendations needed fine-tuning.

Dr Bonnici said he was particularly interested in a point, made in Prof. Cowdery’s paper, about changing the way compilations of evidence were held to make them more efficient.