Kamra tal-Avukati Ghawdex – the Gozo Chamber of Advocates said in a statement on Tuesday, that “it is with great regret” that once again the situation of the Court in the Island of Gozo has been completely ignored and disregarded in Finance Minister Clyde Caruana’s Budget 2026 speech.

The Chamber said that “despite several promises made over the years regarding the construction of a new Court in Gozo, the Minister has failed to indicate any concrete plans or deadlines regarding this much needed project.”

The Gozo Chamber of Advocates insisted that “the situation of the administration of the Gozo Court is so deplorable that every room in the Court building is filled with staff working in an extremely limited space. In some circumstances, the Court processes regarding cases that are still pending are piled on top of each other on the floor due to the limited space.”

The Chamber also noted that “apart from this, on several occasions, the Judges operating from the Court building in Gozo are finding it difficult to work since there are not enough chambers to accommodate the Courts, Tribunals and Boards that perform their functions from Gozo.”

It is also recalled that the current building is inaccessible to persons with mobility problems in particular since each floor and each chamber is accessible only via stairs with great difficulties for anyone who wants to make use of the Courts’ services.

The Gozo Chamber of Advocates stated that “this not only creates indirect discrimination against citizens with disabilities or mobility problems, but also goes against the recommendations of the Occupational Health and Safety Authority and the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability, as stated in their reports of February 2021.”

Therefore, the Gozo Chamber of Advocates said that “while formally expressing their regret at the lack of particular attention to this situation, appeals for the civil authorities to take immediate action to ensure that all citizens have an adequate place from which the Gozo Court can work with greater ease, and to ensure that all citizens have access to justice in a safe, accessible and modern environment.”

The Chamber concluded that “the Gozo Court cannot continue to operate from a building that dates back to the time of the Order of St. John. The Gozitan people deserve better.”

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