156 lawyers and 5 legal procurators receive their warrant

On Monday afternoon, 156 lawyers and five legal procurators received their legal warrant.

Justice Minister Owen Bonnici congratulated the new lawyers and legal procurators, while also highlighting the importance and responsibility that this profession brings with it, and encouraged those present to follow the Code of Ethics and to behave in a serious and responsible manner, as they are now representing a crucial sector in our country – the justice sector.

Minister Bonnici said the government was committed to ensuring that the justice sector was highly effective and of service to Malta’s citizens, and mentioned various measures taken during the past few years in order to strengthen this sector. Throughout this legislature, he said, improvements were made to better the service provided by the courts, including a larger Family Court registry. Two new courtrooms were completed, allowing more hearings to be held and more judgements to be passed, which in turn resulted in a smaller backlog of proceedings.

He made reference to the new court services, Get Mobile Notifications and My Cases, as well as to the register of interdicted and barred persons, which is now available online. He also mentioned the fact that the amount of pending cases in the criminal sector has lessened considerably.

Minister Bonnici stressed that these reforms were being carried out to facilitate people’s lives and that the government would keep striving to improve this sector.

He mentioned Act No. II of 2018, which gives the House of Representatives new powers of scrutiny in the appointment of chairpersons to key regulatory authorities and ambassadors who are not in the public service, a strong measure that represents the strengthening of good administration.

This legislative amendment is another measure that strengthens the country’s rule of law, together with the law on party financing, the law that bars prescription on crimes of corruption committed by politicians, the Whistleblower Act, the law that changed the appointment method of judges, including their discipline and conditions, and the law that strengthened freedom of artistic expression.