Be the first to comment!Present situation at Gozo Courts and the solutions proposed are not acceptable – GBC
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The Gozo Business Chamber has voiced its concern over the “present situation at the Gozo Law Courts.” Currently Gozitan lawyers are carrying out collective action and are not attending fixed hearings at the Gozo Court, due to a number of issues that have not been addressed, which the lawyers said, “are hampering the justice process.”
The Chamber in a statement on Wednesday, said that “the present situation and the solutions being proposed are not acceptable, as these would continue to accentuate the regional disparities that are frequently faced by the Gozitan population.”
The Chamber would like to point out to the following issues:
• The inadequate facilities presently available at the Gozo Law Courts, which are neither accessible to people with disabilities, nor adequate to host the operations of a modern and functioning Court of Law.
• The lack of sufficient and trained staff capable of supporting the normal and efficient administration of a Court of Law, which many times results in sittings being delayed.
• The absence of specific grades within the Gozo Courts, mainly the absence of marshals resident in Gozo. This is a grave shortcoming, as with the solutions that are being proposed, it would mean that after office hours the communication of decrees, their implementation, and execution would be delayed.
The Chamber pointed out that “having non-resident marshals crossing over to Gozo, would mean that certain illegal actions would not be prevented from happening, as the marshal would need to be summoned from Malta after office hours to communicate, implement and execute a decree.”
“A fully functioning Court of Law in Gozo along the years has progressed with the developments of the regional set-up of the island,” it said.
The Chamber concluded by saying that it is “concerned that the present situation may lead to certain services being hived off from the Gozo Law Courts and to its importance being gradually diminished.”
