The Attorney General was irked that a section of the press asked him the date when he questioned a magistrate about a judicial inquiry the latter was conducting, (ToM, 11 July).

The magisterial inquiry concerned refers to the accidental death of a young foreign construction worker some months ago, evidently a subject of major public interest. And this when another set of inquiries into the death of an illegal immigrant on the run started over a year ago has still not been concluded.

No sir, too many of our inquiries are conducted in an improper manner, too often going beyond the timeframe prescribed by law and leaving vital questions unanswered.

What is more, the way the Attorney General responded to the Press query betrays contempt for what the public has a right to know, living as we do in an open democracy. It certainly is not the answer one would expect from a professional senior public servant.

It should not be necessary to remind one that dates are of the utmost importance in legal matters and that the AG’s excuse for dismissing the query put to him, namely that it is “merely satisfying a preference for perfectionism or curiosity about a date”, is simply an unacceptable instance of petulant absurdity, unworthy of his high office

Joseph A. Muscat

TA’ XBIEX