Calls to address a “serious security risk” at the law courts were being ignored by the Justice Ministry and the court administration, Times of Malta was told.
Court employees complained of being tasked to carry large amounts of money every day from the court building in Valletta to a venue in the capital, which is not being divulged for security reasons, without the necessary security protocols and precautions such an operation necessitated. The task is usually carried out by staff members assigned to chauffeuring members of the judiciary and court marshals.
“Every day, one of us is assigned to transport large amounts of cash in an unarmed car. The vehicle is always the same one but we do not get any protection whatsoever,” one employee lamented.
“We take bags full of cash, without any escort, in a car that is totally rundown. We follow the same route everyday and it’s a miracle no incident has ever occurred. But this is not on,” another said.
Cash is deposited in court for various reasons, including bail, fines and fees.
The employees said that while some “cosmetic” investments were being made in the law courts so “the minister can run a feature on the news”, their complaints over the archaic money transfer system fell on deaf ears.
Security system is stuck in the 1970s
“The law courts’ security system is stuck in the 1970s and few things have changed. No-one can imagine the confusion and mayhem there is inside that building,” a staff member remarked.
“The way we carry cash is just the tip of the iceberg, in terms of problems,” a court driver said.
“The system has been the same for at least the past 20 years and on many occasions we argued that the time has come to have a private security company tasked to handle this operation. Still, no one bothers to take any action until one of us is either killed or maimed.”
“We have informed various ministers, court director-generals, judges, magistrates and anyone we could think of about this pitiful situation but no one has bothered to take any action. We are told that our complaints are justified but that is small consolation,” another frustrated employee said.
Questions sent to the Justice Ministry remained unanswered at the time of writing despite reminders.
Times of Malta asked whether the government had any intention of changing the cash transfer system by issuing a call for tenders to engage a professional security firm to handle the task.
The court administration spends hundreds of thousands of euros a month on various farmed-out services including the provision of ushers, the hiring of cars as well as cleaning and other services. Millions of euros are also spent on court experts at the discretion of the judiciary.
“It seems the government has money for everything except for the protection of our health and our families,” an employee, who said he was counting the days before retirement, complained.