Reference is made to the article in which Michael Carabott alleged that there had been “IT chaos at the Law Courts” (TMIS, 21 May).
I would like to put forward the following for clarification purpose.
It is normal procedure every Wednesday at around 6.45am for the Courts of Justice technical staff to turn off the power supply in order to test the generator, which should automatically switch on to provide the necessary electricity supply. The switching on of the generator is a routine weekly procedure in case there is a power failure at the Law Courts. The test takes only a couple of seconds and no staff is affected at this time of the morning. No clerical staff is present at this time.
On Wednesday 17 May there was the usual test at 6:45am. Unfortunately, the generator did not switch on due to a fault in the charger and batteries. As a result, an electrical fault developed and the power supply went off at around 8:45am. No tests were conducted at 9am – there was simply a phase failure on the change over panels that affected the Enemalta power supply. The division electricians solved the problem in a short time.
That day the administration received only one complaint from a “senior” registrar regarding a computer failure and not six, as was alleged by your correspondent.
As regards the so called cheap IT components, it seems that Mr Carabott has been misinformed on the normal purchasing procedure of IT equipment and parts by government entities. Such purchase is made through the e-procurement website, which provides a list of quality mark suppliers who have a set of standards and specifications identified and approved by MITTS.
Your journalist is not aware of the fact that all items seized by the courts have to be disposed of according to law. If a Court of Criminal Jurisdiction orders the destruction of an object, the Court Registrar has no option but to follow the court’s decision to the letter and then report back in writing to the same court that had ordered the destruction of the item. Firearms are handed over to the Commissioner of Police according to law. The Commissioner of Police, like the Court Registrar, is obliged to destroy these firearms if the court so orders.
Vanni Galea
Director General
Court of Justice Division