Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said that in relation to the legal advancements Malta has made this year, more is yet to come in terms of addressing the inefficiencies of the court, addressing the framework for journalists and also increasing the number of courtrooms available.
Caruana also announced that a new procedure will be used in the Family Court in order to create a more effective and efficient justice system.
Work is also being done on the Asset Recovery Bureau, which will be fitted with the latest technology and appropriate space needed in order to properly preserve confiscated items.
Caruana also announced that work on the strategy for local government is expected to be completed on the thirty-year anniversary of the beginning of the local governments in Malta.
As from 1 January, Malta will have a non-permanent seat at the United Nations council. This is the second time Malta was given this honour, and it will be used to strengthen bilateral relations between countries with regards to economy and commerce.
Police, Armed Forces and Civil Protection
Caruana said that incentives put in place in 2016 by the government to promote such workers, in order to continue on in their job as past their 25 year pension time frame has begun to bear fruit.
“Due to the success of the 2016 incentives, we can now start the process to extend the incentives to all officers of the disciplined forces, especially for those who already continued working past their 25 years.”
These incentives include an increase of 23% in their pension when they complete another four years of service, and a service pension for widows who lost someone while in service – where they will receive the pension for 5 years.
Caruana also pledged that throughout 2023, all localities in Malta will be covered by the community policing service. The figure currently stands at 76% for all of Malta and Gozo.
Speaking about the Armed Forces of Malta, Caruana stated that an investment of €12 million has already been spent on new facilities and a Virtual Small Arms Training Simulator. This does not include a further €10 million which was spent in order to strengthen the Army Airforce.
The Armed Forces are also going to receive a new boat to improve their fleet. This is expected to cost €53 million and it will be financed through European Funds.
A big investment is also being made in vehicles for the Police Force and Armed Forces, as well as in new fire engines for both industrial and domestic use. For the Civil Protection Department, new Hazmat vehicles are also being bought in order to prepare for electric care fires. With regards to fires on vehicles at sea, €2 million was spent on a specialised boat to better battle boat fires.
Crime and victim support
Throughout the year 2023, Malta will be introducing its first electronic tagging systems as approved by Parliament, as well as continuing with the renovations at the Corradino Correctional Facility.
With regards to the Victim Support Agency, Caruana said that since its inception, the agency has helped more than 1,600 people. These include victims of aggravated assault, domestic violence, sexual abuse, verbal abuse and hate crimes.
Due to its importance, Caruana said that a helpline is going to be set up for 24 hour support in order to strengthen the service and make it more holistic for victims.
Talking about domestic violence, Caruana pledged to improve the capabilities of the commission on violence as based on gender and domestic violence.
Money laundering
Good governance will remain the priority of the government, Caruana said. “Moving forward on the guidelines provided by the FATF, Moneyval and other organisations is also our priority.”
Caruana said that although a lot of effort was put towards getting Malta out of the grey-list, “we have to assure that we keep the same level of commitment. We have to create reforms where needed in order to keep the trust in our institutions.”