Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1536968
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 JUNE 2025 NEWS The long road to justice: 206 awaiting trial THERE are 206 people who are awaiting trial for crimes they have committed, figures ta- bled in parliament by Justice Minister Jona- than Attard show. These include 76 people who have been waiting for five years or more to undergo trial proceedings. Attard was reply- ing to a parliamentary question from Nation- alist MP Graziella At- tard Previ. The data, correct up to the end of May 2025, shows that 48 peo- ple have been waiting between two and five years, while 44 people have been waiting for a year. A further 38 peo- ple have been waiting for six months to un- dergo a trial. In his reply, Attard noted that over the past months, money was invested in the Valletta law courts to have a new hall where juries could also be held. The new hall joined Hall 22, which is the largest and has been used for jury trials. Attard said that over the past weeks, three juries were held in the new hall, while another jury was taking place in Hall 22. KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt THE Planning Authority has ap- proved the construction of a rock revetment along the existing fria- ble cliff face at Għar Tal-Veċċja in St Paul's Bay. The revetment is intended to pro- tect the area from further coastal erosion and prevent the possible collapse of Triq Stella Maris. The approved plans also include the construction of a swimming deck, which will be accessible via a staircase and a ramp for people with mobility issues. The deck will be located at the western end of the proposed revetment, as detailed in a visual impression presented by the Public Works Department. Plans for the construction of a rock revetment have been pending since 2022, when the first plans were submitted. These plans were subsequently revised following objections from the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), which warned against the obliteration of the cave. Revised plans were then sub- mitted to protect the cave without covering it, proposing boulders in front of the site. In a meeting held last Septem- ber, the Planning Commission requested that the Public Works Department amend the drawings to include the swimming deck and obtain the consent of the Commis- sion for the Rights of Persons with Disability, which was later grant- ed. A project statement presented in 2023 warned that wave action from north-eastern storms was damaging the existing infrastruc- ture along this stretch of coastline. The erection of boulders would decrease the rate of erosion on the cave during severe storms, thereby increasing the safety of third-party properties and the road sitting di- rectly above it. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Boulders in Veccja cove to prevent road collapse approved