Between January and December 2010 there were 58 businesses that did not honour decisions of the Consumer Claims Tribunal. Thirty of these complied when brought to court, five were fined and 23 cases are still pending.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this in answer to a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Ċensu Galea who, while noting that 267 of 359 cases had been decided in favour of the consumer, 92 for the business and 243 cases were still pending, asked if the Consumer Division continued to follow up on decided cases to ensure that judgements were executed.

He also asked if the division had ever had to take further steps against faulting businesses.

Dr Gonzi said that after the statutory 20 days in which one could appeal the tribunal’s judgment, the division sent out the erring party a letter with a copy of the sentence as a reminder.

A second letter was sent after a further month if the business had not paid up.

If the sentence remained unheeded within three months of the tribunal’s sentence, legal proceedings were set in motion according to the Consumer Affairs Act.