Dr Mifsud Bonnici said that the decision follows the government’s

policy to ease the courts’ excessive case-load and address the excessive delays that characterise some court cases.

The introduction of this measure will help improve the justice system because it will ensure that people will see justice being done more efficiently, especially in the areas outlined, he said.

Furthermore, Dr Mifsud Bonnici pointed out, it will also help change the culture of litigation, common among the Maltese.

Making an analogy with the way services are delivered, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said: “We do not realise that we often rent a bus to carry one single passenger.” He highlighted a number of advantages that the centre will provide.

He said that the time factor was one of the most important, adding that the centre was more accessible and less costly than the courts because it carried fewer many fees than the courts.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici pointed out that the people selected to rule over the cases presented before the centre were experts in the matter at hand. Confidentiality is another advantageous point he mentioned, saying that at the centre, contrary to the courts, litigators could agree whether a case should be heard behind closed doors or not.

The date and time when the hearing is convened is by appointment for the public’s convenience. The system was much more flexible than that used in the courts, he said, adding that arrangements could be made by the parties involved. However, the sentences issued by the centre have the same weight as those issued in court, he insisted.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said that the centre is an important instrument that the government intends to strengthen. “People are interested in having their case heard and that justice is done in reasonable time and not postponed from one year to the next,” he concluded.