A judicial tribunal administers justice, by ensuring that laws are upheld, enforced and observed and that those who break them are punished. It must, therefore,
Lawyers did not turn up for work at the Gozo law courts on Wednesday, forcing presiding magistrates to postpone all sittings.
The lawyers are demanding improvement in the environment and facilities of the courthouse, a cramped old building in the Citadel of Victoria.
Magistrates Joe Mifsud and Simone Grech postponed all their sittings after the lawyers complained they did not have the basic tools to work with.
On Monday, a group of 20 lawyers had appeared before Grech to inform the court that until the situation improved, they would not be appearing in court for their cases.
Sources said the magistrate is well aware of the dire situation since she had to pause her sittings last week to go to the registry in person and fetch the file for her next case.
The launching last Wednesday of a public consultation process covering the 2021 Act on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the 2021 Act to amend the Equal Opportunities (Persons with Disability) Act is yet another firm salvo for the overall cause of equality and inclusion in this country.
It is, actually, a resolute way of bringing several loose ends together, towards creating a final package that will help streamline the whole legal and administrative apparatus for the complete implementation of the UN convention.
Malta signed the convention way back in 2007 and ratified it five years later. Now, in this year’s decisive phase, we are proposing the absorption into our domestic law of those rights and structures that had not yet been addressed. It has been a long and winding road across different administrations but the realisation of this project will, no doubt, seal Malta’s strict adherence to an international convention based on the ri
The Gozo courthouse will be fined for failing to meet minimum health and safety standards and could face criminal action if it does not pay up.
The management had been given three months to bring the building up to scratch after the Occupational Health and Safety Authority found multiple shortcomings in an audit.
However, three months later, the OHSA has found that only five of the 16 requirements it laid down have been fully or partly implemented, a Gozo court heard on Thursday.
The audit had been ordered by Magistrate Joe Mifsud after a violent incident took place outside the court rooms. When the magistrate asked for video footage of the incident, he was informed there was no CCTV.
Illegal structures added to a kiosk on The Strand, in Sliema have been removed by the developer in the wake of public outrage over the eyesore, the ‘theft’ of the promenade and the lack of enforcement.
An application to sanction the works, which exceeded the kiosk’s permit limitations, had raised questions about the Planning Authority’s inaction when planning law and conditions are contravened.
The PA had approved plans for the kiosk allowing demountable umbrellas and windbreakers up to 1.2 metres high to be installed. Instead, a permanent roofed enclosure for tables and chairs was built, eating into the promenade and obstructing views.