12
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 21 OCTOBER 2026
NEWS
JULIANA
ZAMMIT
jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt
WITH
SAVIOUR
BALZAN
THURSDAY AT 10.15PM ON TVM
Clifton Grima: Gozo courthouse to
be completed by December 2028
GOZO'S new courthouse has
been eyed for completion by
December 2028, Justice Minis-
ter Clifton Grima announced.
In response to a parliamen-
tary question on Monday from
Nationalist MP Frank Anthony
Tabone, Grima said plans are
being prepared for submission
to the Planning Authority.
He said the project is in the
design and planning stage,
with renovation works set to
begin once the Planning Au-
thority approves it.
At the same time, they will
prepare tender documents
to procure the furniture and
equipment needed for the
courthouse.
"Once renovation works are
completed and all necessary
services and equipment are
installed, the courthouse will
begin operating," Grima said.
The government agreed to
purchase the former Down-
town Hotel site in Rabat, Gozo,
for €6.325 million to house the
new law courts.
It selected the site after a
public market consultation
launched in 2022, which as-
sessed 11 submissions.
The new courthouse will re-
place the existing courts in the
17th-century building in the
Citadel, which has struggled
to meet modern requirements
for space, accessibility, and
safety.
Gozo's current courts oper-
ate from a 17th-century build-
ing in the Citadel, an iconic
heritage site but one increas-
ingly unable to accommodate
rising caseloads, modern legal
requirements and accessibility
standards. Officials had said
the new location will address
longstanding issues related to
space, safety, and functionali-
ty.
A render of the proposed law courts at the former Downtown Hotel
