The shadow minister of home affairs, Jason Azzopardi, said this evening that the Justice Minister was playing with the people's sentiments when last week he read in parliament an e-mail from a person who was convicted of drug abuse and was facing a jail term, even though the case took place several years ago and he had since reformed himself and was starting a family.
Speaking in parliament, Dr Azzopardi said there was no doubt that it was wrong that this case took so long to be decided. Justice delayed was justice denied. But he could not understand why Justice Minister Owen Bonnici opted to read the convicted person's e-mail, unless he intended to pardon him.
If Dr Bonnici intended to recommend a pardon, what about similar cases? What was the cutoff point? Would it be the time it took for the case to be decided, the fact that the accused had since married or had children?
If the minister did not feel that this case merited a pardon, then why had he raised it in Parliament, creating confusion?
It was right that the minister was taking measures to speed up court proceedings, Dr Azzopardi said, but it was wrong of him to play with people's sentiments.
ACTION OVER MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE
Dr Azzopardi also referred to an apparent case of miscarriage of justice, where a man was jailed after his conviction was upheld on appeal. The man was subsequently released on a temporary court order.
He said that with a minor amendment, Maltese law could provide the mechanism for a review by the Court of Appeal when a complaint of miscarriage of justice was made. This mechanism was currently only limited to trials by jury.
In the longer term, the country could consider the setting up of a Criminal Cases Review Commission as was done in the UK.
MINISTER'S REACTION
Replying, Dr Bonnici denied that he was playing with the people's sentiments.
He could very well have argued that the case happened six/seven years ago and he was minister for just a year and therefore it was not his doing.
However, he felt he had to offer the man an apology and expedite proceedings so that such cases became the exception and not the rule.