Court space has reached saturation point - Chief Justice

Chief Justice Silvio Camillieri yesterday warned that space at the Courts of Law in Republic Street had reached saturation point and there was an urgent need for larger, more adequate premises to be found.

Speaking at the opening of the Family Court registry in Strait Street – the annex to the main law courts building – Camilleri said that “space has decreased drastically and physically because services have grown and the more they grow, the more people need to come to court; so there’s less space. It is something positive to see more judges and magistrates being appointed but we have reached saturation point in this building.”

“We seriously need to consider shifting the law courts to a new site as even though three new court rooms are being added, there is no office space left,” he said.

The Chief Justice welcomed the idea of having a separate registry for the Family Court, saying that “the old one was small, almost claustrophobic, while this one is big and much more comfortable for staff and the public.”

Justice Minister Owen Bonnici spoke about the various improvements the Labour government had implemented in the sector.

The minister stated that the opening of the new Family Court registry was a positive move. “Here we have a registry office for family law with the standards that you expect for a court in the 21st century. The previous registry was a small, partitioned-off area (kantuniera misruqa), and not only were the staff uncomfortable, but also the people who needed services. Now we have a registry which suits the world we live in and is part of the judiciary system that we expect.”