Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1517228
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 MARCH 2024 Democracy and the tragic tale of two lost laptops Editorial THERE is a reason why the place in the law courts where evidence is kept is called a strong room – it is intended to be a high secu- rity location with limited access because the stuff inside is crucial to ongoing cases. Without the evidence, potential criminals can walk free because the prosecution would have little to work with. Justice is seriously compromised when important evidence goes missing. So, it is gravely worrisome that in a matter of a few weeks, two laptops went missing from the court's strong room. This is not some- thing the authorities should take lightly. Short of gross incompetence, losing or even misplacing evidence, is outright criminal since it interferes with the justice process. It not only threatens to breach the accused's right to a fair trial but undermines society's right to see justice meted out accordingly. Whether these two laptop incidents hap- pened by mistake or by design, heads must roll at the Court Services Agency. And if the case necessitates, criminal action should be taken against the person or persons who are obstructing justice by 'losing' these electronic devices. The police must not shy away from throwing the book at anyone who may be directly or indirectly involved if criminal intent results from their investigation. The justice system has had to deal with its fair share of credibility issues over the past two decades – a chief justice and two judges found guilty of bribery in separate cases. The last thing we need now is an administrative system that 'loses' evidence from the strong room. These incidents undermine the cred- ibility of the justice system to the detriment of society. On the other hand, if part of the problem is linked to a lack of human and material re- sources, it falls on government to provide the necessary funding. The law courts need a fully-digitised system of records that allows traceability of files and material evidence. Justice Minister Jonathan Attard has said the agency has started nego- tiations for the introduction of a new system of electronic labelling of court exhibits. The process needs to be speeded up lest it drags on for months. But people working with the Court Services Agency should be properly vetted. It is iron- ic that we have a rigorous process to appoint someone a judge or magistrate but people working with members of the judiciary and who get to see and handle sensitive informa- tion and material are ordinarily employed. Court officials need to understand the im- portance and sensitivity of their privileged roles. They have to ensure the information they come across as a result of their work is kept secure and confidential at all times. The loss of two laptops from court has be- come the butt of many jokes. Let us face it, it would be funny had it not been so tragic. In these circumstances, the Justice Minister must take the bull by the horns and make it clear to the Court Services Agency this is an unacceptable situation, which has to be rem- edied now. Attard did appoint an administrative board last month to conduct a thorough review of exhibit custody and make recommendations to improve handling procedures and securi- ty. The fact that a second case of missing evi- dence cropped up in the meantime is testimo- ny to the seriousness of the situation. This leader agrees with the appeal made by rule of law NGO Repubblika that the minis- ter must explain to the public what has hap- pened; ensure those responsible for this grave situation are removed; say what he will be do- ing to make sure there is no repeat of these cases; and provide all the tools to have the ev- idence recovered. Additionally, the minister must also ensure the agency is provided with the necessary re- sources and personnel to function properly and in line with the seriousness that is ex- pected of it. It is already tragic that evidence goes miss- ing from the law courts. It is only made worse when this leads to the erosion of trust among the general public. The ability to trust the justice system is fundamental to democracy, which is why the government must act fast and decisively to put people's minds at rest. Otherwise, criminals will rule the roost and that is not a prospect we, or any right-think- ing person, desire. Quote of the Week "Malta wants to ensure there is equity in the [green] transition and no member state is left behind." Energy Minister Miriam Dalli in a doorstep comment before a meeting of EU energy ministers in Brussels. MaltaToday 10 years ago 8 March 2014 State moves in to take control of local wardens THE running of Malta's local enforcement sys- tem has become too costly to keep up with the expectations of the two private companies which provide Malta's and Gozo's 44 local councils with wardens, CCTV cam- eras, and speed cameras, and the only way it can survive is to issue more tickets and col- lect more fines. But Labour seems to be living up to a warn- ing sounded by Joseph Muscat in 2011 that the "sub- sidised racket" of local enforcement would longer be tolerated under a new govern- ment. "Yesterday, parliamentary secretary for local government José Herrera unveiled plans for a new centralised unit to take over the manning of local wardens. Herrera has pledged a 30% reduction in costs - a reduction that industry insiders de- duce can only be achieved by cutting out the private sector. But the parliamentary secretary said that today's system was built on the misleading as- sumption that it should make money for local councils when in reality, uncollected fines and a decline in contraventions and speed- ing offences being committed, has rendered the system unsustainble to run. Herrera's solution will be to turn the LES in- to a national unit of wardens serving councils, rather than the private operators taking over 70% of the total fines issued over the years. Labour taking on 'subsidised racket Malta's local warden system is in the pro- cess of being reformed, 14 years after it was first introduced – but the jury is out on what government's plans for a centralised unit means for people like Kenneth De Martino, whose Guard & Warden Service runs the gamut of local enforcement services, deploy- ing wardens to the coun- cils, monitoring CCTV systems and also processing speed camera fines. ...