A better justice system
We are committed to ensure that the administration of justice is efficient, of high quality and of service to our citizens. Various measures have been taken during the past five years to strengthen this sector and we are determined to keep doing more.
Statistics do not lie and provide the best picture. And there we have an important amount of good news. We have already seen a steady decrease of pending caseload in 2018 compared to the previous years, a clear sign that the utmost is being done to provide a better service to the nation. An increasing number of courts are improving their efficiency- the Civil Court, the Constitutional Court and Court of Magistrates are all doing very well compared to last year when it comes to clearance rate, and the disposition time for the Constitutional Court, Family Court, Court of Magistrates, and the Land Arbitration Board has improved from last year.
The various criminal courts have also seen a decrease in its pending caseload. In fact, statistics for 2017 show that the number of pending cases has gone down to 13,185 – 13% less than what the number was 5 years ago. In particular criminal courts, the rate of concluded court decisions was up to 112%, meaning more court decisions were being given compared to the influx of new ones. This is the highest efficiency rate in the past couple of years.
This being said, there are other particular Courts which need attention and we will do all that is necessary and within the limits of rule of law to improve their efficiency. I am confident that the main stakeholders share my view and determination drive further change and improvements. I am confident that in a year’s time, we will see across the board improvements which will result in a better administration of Justice.
The overall positive outcome provides us with a stronger drive to keep on working on changes and reforms to the judicial process. better service.
This year an investment of €200,000 has led to the completion of two court halls. Back in March 2017 another new court room was completed, thus resulting in three new court rooms in less than a year. This improvement is allowing for more hearings to be held and more judgements to be passed, resulting in a smaller backlog of proceedings.
Space is an issue in main Court building and the creation of three new court halls was the result of planning and attention to detail. In effect those three halls occupy the space which was previously held up by the Chief Justice’s office, the library and training centre. The former was immediately converted to a courtroom once it was transferred to St Thomas More Building. An investment of €140,000 has brought the relocation of the court library and training centre. This relocation was essential for the work on the two courtrooms to commence and have now found their place instead of part of the Court Archives.
Another important milestone in court was the introduction of a new Commercial section of the Civil Court, which has entered into force on the 9th of April. Undeniably, the setting up of a section tasked with Company Law matter clearly crystallises the said commitment in that it provides a more specialised and accessible judicial service to citizens running a business as well as companies in commercial disputes. This augurs extremely well with the various judicial reforms, which this Government is principally implementing to revitalise the justice sector, with the purpose of ensuring that our country’s citizens benefit from a stronger judiciary.
Notwithstanding that, domestically, the Commercial Court albeit with a different jurisdiction – had previously existed, its absence in recent years raised concerns amongst several bodies and international credit agencies, since in contemporary times having a Commercial Court is the norm and not the exception.
It is precisely this sentiment that spurred Government to act and establish a new Commercial division, a court which will now be competent to hear and adjudicate cases relating to matters governed by the Companies Act, such as bankruptcy, insolvency proceedings, and winding-up proceedings.
The need for this Court was already being felt from within the Courts’ structures, as in practice there were already informal arrangements for the formation of the Commercial Court. The establishment of this Court is aimed at addressing better the various issues which citizens involved in business structures encounter on a commercial level. deliver the judgment compared to how long it took our Courts to decide the matter. Here is the data: In the first instance the case was decided on 28 June, 2010
In the second instance the case was decided on 29 November, 2012
The European Court for Human Rights decided the case on 15 May, 2018.
These are facts. No further comment is necessary.