The Government is continuing with reforms that strengthen the field of justice. Prime Minister Robert Abela met with with the European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders
Justice remains an important point to be made and is seen to be made. It was this message that Prime Minister Robert Abela passed on in a meeting he had in the Berga of Castile with the European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders. In the meeting, Prime Minister Abela mentioned the fact that the Maltese Government consulted fully and continuously with the European Commission among others regarding the implementation of a number of reforms in favor of strengthening the kingdom of -law, justice and governance in our country.
Prime Minister Robert Abela stressed that the Government is continuing to bring reforms that further strengthen justice in our country. Dr. Abela noted reforms pushed by the Government including the change in the process of compilations which aims to increase efficiency in the judicial process.
At the meeting in Castile, the Prime Minister explained a number of other reforms that this administration is working on including amendments to the Criminal Code to protect the health and life of the mother in case she is in serious danger result of medical complications during pregnancy, amendments that strengthen the fight against crime where in case of very serious crimes the Police will have the right to request the Magistrate’s permission to extend the arrest for more from 48 hours and also amendments that further clarify the penalties on cases where there is aggravation. This is apart from amendments tabled and discussed in Parliament which continue to strengthen the country’s fight against domestic violence.
The Prime Minister listed a number of reforms carried out by this administration including the new method of appointing the President of Malta and the appointment and removal of judges, including the Chief Justice, where the A government has taken power out of his hand. This is apart from a new method of appointing a Police Commissioner with parliamentary scrutiny, the creation of a separate Prosecution service and the strengthening of the functions of two very important institutions, namely that of the Ombudsman and the Permanent Commission against Corruption.
Prime Minister Abela explained to the European Commissioner Didier Reynders the unprecedented resources that the Government gave to the Courts and the Attorney General’s Office. This was complemented by funds part of the Recovery and Resilience Program that were invested in the digitalization of the operation of the Courts. The Prime Minister also referred to the draft laws that will give the highest protection in history to journalists and how the Committee of Media Experts is going through a public consultation after the Government accepted the request of the Chairperson of the same Committee to extend the consultation.
The Prime Minister ended by stressing that the field of justice remains one in which continuous reforms must be made such as those that were made so that Malta gained the trust of FATF and MoneyVal. Accompanying Prime Minister Abela in the meeting with Didier Reynders were Ministers Owen Bonnici, Byron Camilleri and Jonathan Attard, Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg, Cabinet Secretary Ryan Spagnol and the Head of the Secretariat of the Office of the Prime Minister Glenn Micallef.
