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JURORS delivered another shocking verdict when they acquit- ted Lorin Scicluna of murdering Lassana Cisse last Sunday. From the evidence presented in court, there is no doubt that Scicluna was involved in a racially-fuelled rampage that left several victims. In Lassana Cisse's case, he never lived to tell his story. The other three victims were left scarred for life. It is hard to decipher what the thinking process of the nine-member jury was. Their decision does not come with a motivation and so we are left pondering why they chose to acquit Scicluna, not only of murder but also of three other attempted murder charges involving other migrants. We are left wondering why Scicluna was not even found guilty of complicity to murder despite being on the scene of the crimes, allowing his car to be used in the hit-and- runs, and having his gun fire the fatal shot that killed Cis- se. From the outside, it would seem jurors were not convinced Scicluna did what he was accused of doing. Scicluna's defence insisted it was co-accused Francesco Fenech who used the gun. It would seem jurors had doubts about Scicluna's intentions. Inexplicable as this may be, jurors decided that Scicluna should only be convicted of causing grievous bodily harm in one instance. His crime is aggravated by the fact that it was racially motivated and the judge will pronounce her- self on the sentence today. Scicluna was not the only person accused for the same crimes. His co-accused, Francesco Fenech, is still awaiting his own trial after the attorney general opted for two sep- arate juries instead of one. The legal strategy behind the decision to hold separate trials will never be explained but it raises question marks whether it was a judicious choice in the circumstances. The outcome is that Scicluna has been acquitted of hei- nous crimes, apart from one, leaving us with the sour taste that justice for Lassana may never be served. But although it is legitimate to question, criticise and disagree with a jury's verdict, it is a whole different ball game to advocate for abolition of jury trials because the last two big verdicts came as a shock. In a policy paper released on Tuesday, rule of law NGO Repubblika argued that the choice should not be limited to a binary one between retaining the status quo and abolish- ing juries altogether. Its policy document offers several possible directions for reform, ranging from making fuller use of powers already available under Maltese law to introducing new safeguards for jurors and, ultimately, reconsidering the composition of criminal courts. Repubblika's proposals make several pertinent observa- tions and suggestions on the jury system that can serve as a launch pad for a mature discussion that could lead to an evolution of the system. And such a discussion must also look at the quality of the prosecution service—its independence from political influence, the judiciousness of certain legal strategies, the legal prowess when going up against some of the more sea- soned defence lawyers, the resources at hand, the ability to convince jurors. But as regards the Lassana case, there is also a wider discussion to be held about xenophobia and racism, even from an institutional point of view. The outcome can em- bolden those who feel black people are inferior and for- eigners can be abused. To make matters worse, the verdict came at a time when the government used its budget to castigate non-EU residents with measures that will burden them with additional costs—fomenting an us-and-them mentality. This is a time when we expect the political class to stand up against xenophobia and racism. Unfortunately, what we have witnessed is a largely silent cohort of politicians, bar the odd ones out, such as Darren Carabott and Alex Sciberras. This country needs moral leadership that rejects hate, stands up to discrimination, denounces racism and xeno- phobia, and champions human rights. This country needs politicians with a spine who can stand up to be counted. It's a pity that we have not seen this type of leadership in parliament. A shocking verdict, a call for reform and moral leadership maltatoday MaltaToday, MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR: KURT SANSONE DEPUTY PRINT EDITOR: LAURA CALLEJA Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt 11 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 4 NOVEMBER 2026 EDITORIAL This country needs politicians with a spine who can stand up to be counted. It's a pity that we have not seen this type of leadership in parliament

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