Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1547461
4 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 4 NOVEMBER 2026 NEWS NOTIFICATION TO UNKNOWN LAND OWNERS IN TERMS OF ART 4(2) OF L.N. 71/07 AS AMENDED BY L.N. 73/15 LOCATION: Site at, Villa Kavallieri, & vacant plot, Triq tal-Franċiż, Triq il-Qasam and Triq il-Keffa, Swieq DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSAL: Proposed planning control application - rezoning from Residential Priority Area to proposed Residential Area. Owners of land parcels wiitthin the site indicated above intend to submit a Planning Control Application to the Planning Authority regarding the above site in line with the requirements of Art. 4 of L.N. 71/07. An attempt to trace all owners was made, however not all owners could be found. This notice is being made to inform owners who could not be traced about the proposed application. Such owners may contact the architect on the numbers below by not later than (15 days from the date of this advert) for more details. ARCHITECT: Perit Ruben Sciortino ADDRESS: RS Design Assoc. Sorenson, Triq D.Cremona, Hamrun ruben@rsdesiiggn.eu / secretary@rsdesign.eu TEL/MOBILE NO: 7931 1223/2124 7356 CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 The proposals include mod- els combining professional judges and lay jurors, reasoned verdicts, stronger juror pro- tections and improvements to criminal investigations. The paper comes amid a heat- ed debate over the future of the jury system, with some cam- paigners, including Matthew Caruana Galizia, calling for its abolition following two acquit- tals that provoked widespread anger and disbelief. Justice Minister Clifton Gri- ma has expressed confidence in the jury system while signalling openness to reforms, includ- ing a requirement for juries to explain the reasoning behind their verdicts. Seizing the moment to con- tribute to the debate, Repub- blika argues that the choice should not be limited to a bi- nary one between retaining the status quo and abolishing ju- ries altogether. Its proposals offer several possible directions for reform, ranging from making fuller use of powers already available un- der Maltese law to introducing new safeguards for jurors and, ultimately, reconsidering the composition of criminal courts. 1. Make fuller use of powers already available under Maltese law Repubblika argues that Malta could improve its existing jury system without first undertak- ing a major structural overhaul. Article 436(3)(c) of the Crim- inal Code gives the Criminal Court discretion to take meas- ures it considers necessary to establish the truth during pro- ceedings. Articles 477–480 also allow judges to put structured writ- ten questions to jurors, seek clarification of ambiguous ver- dicts and ask them to make findings on specific factual is- sues, while leaving complex le- gal questions to the court. The NGO argues that greater use of these provisions could help judges guide juries more effectively and ensure that their deliberations address the specific factual issues in dis- pute 2. Introduce written, reasoned verdicts One of the central proposals is to require juries to explain the reasoning behind their ver- dicts. Under the current system, juries return verdicts without setting out the factual or legal considerations behind them. This can leave victims' families and the public uncertain about how a decision was reached. Repubblika refers to Euro- pean Court of Human Rights judgments, including Taxquet v Belgium and Lhermitte v Bel- gium, which examined safe- guards allowing defendants to understand the basis of jury decisions. The NGO also argues that reasoned verdicts would make appellate scrutiny more mean- ingful by allowing the Court of Criminal Appeal to better un- derstand the basis of a decision when considering appeals un- der Article 500 of the Criminal Code. 3. Improve juror selection, protection and welfare Repubblika argues that citizen participation can only work if jurors are properly selected, protected from external pres- sure and supported throughout the process. The paper calls for trans- parent, independently audita- ble procedures for compiling and publishing lists of eligible jurors. It refers to concerns raised before the 2026 murder trial of Yorgen Fenech, when a private 22-question opinion survey was commissioned fol- lowing the publication of pro- spective jurors' names. The NGO calls for legal prohibi- tions against pre-trial profiling, indirect contact with prospec- tive jurors and covert research into their views. It also proposes higher com- pensation and stronger em- ployment protections, particu- larly for low-income workers, self-employed people and pri- From mixed courts, reasoned verdicts to stronger Lassane Cisse, murdered in April 2019 Court building in Valletta (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)