Justice Minister slams Magistrate for putting off cases until after his retirement

Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said yesterday evening that Magistrate Tonio Micallef Trigona has been putting off cases which were allocated to him until after he retires later this year.

He was reacting to remarks made by PN MP Jason Azzopardi, who mentioned the situation in Parliament.

The minister said that he was aware of the situation, and approached the Chief Justice about the matter.

He called the situation scandalous and praised judges and magistrates who hand out sentences till their very last day on the job.

Both the minister, and the PN MP appealed to Magistrate Micallef Trigona to conduct his work till he retires. The issue was brought up during a debate regarding amendments to the Code of Organisation and Civil Procedure Act, which will allow a judge to preside over cases heard in Gozo.

The minister said that all civil cases in Gozo, bar appeals cases, are heard before a Magistrate even if they would normally be presided over by a sitting judge.

PN MP Azzopardi said that the PN agreed that this was a historic moment, referring to the bill. He recommended that witnesses who reside in Malta be given the ability to submit depositions through video conferencing.

He also highlighted that a number of other members of the judiciary will retire this year and the next, and asked whether replacements were being discussed by government.