The state has been ordered to fork out over €42,000 in compensation to a couple who were landed with unnecessary legal costs in a lawsuit hampered by excessive court delays.
The award was the outcome of constitutional proceedings filed by a couple who had been ordered to pay €34,950 after being sued over a property-related dispute which had taken precisely “19 years and 18 days” to reach final judgment.
The origins of the dispute dated back to March 2000 when Maria Dolores Falzon had filed a civil action against the Debarro spouses about some Qormi property which the applicant claimed to hold under title of lease.