With reference to the third paragraph of the editorial “The jury’s still out” (TMID, 7 November), may I draw your attention that only two magistrates are assigned to deal with drugs cases before the Magistrates Court in Malta, and such cases are not assigned to various magistrates as suggested in your editorial.

One magistrate deals with all those cases – which make up the bulk of drugs cases – where the Attorney General directs that the accused be tried summarily; the other magistrate deals with those more serious cases where the Attorney General directs that the case should end up before the Criminal Court in a trial by jury.

Only in the exceptional case where an accused person, in a summary case, is arraigned under arrest before the duty Magistrate “and decides to plead guilty upon arraignment before the duty Magistrate” can a third Magistrate be involved in such cases.

Joseph Sacco

Acting Registrar

Criminal Courts and Tribunals