The Ministry for Justice, Research and Innovation on Monday deplored the comments directed towards the Attorney General and the country’s institutions in recent days and hours following the delivery of the judgment on the jury verdict concerning the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

In a statement, the Ministry said that “this is not a time for partisan and disparaging comments, nor is it a moment for attacks and insults directed at the institutions.”

“The Government is taking a cautious and responsible position based on the need for this matter to be addressed with maturity and prudence,” the ministry said.

The Ministry also reiterated the importance of respecting the decisions of the Courts. The institutions must be allowed to carry out their duties, as they have always done; and no procedure that may still be pursued in accordance with the law should be prejudiced. This is what the Rule of Law and a mature democratic system require, it added.

“Meanwhile, the work of this Government demonstrates its commitment to continuing to strengthen democracy, justice and the Rule of Law in our country. This is confirmed by the introduction and implementation of a number of reforms introduced in recent years,” the Justice Ministry said.

The ministry said that over these years, an extensive programme of reforms has been implemented to strengthen institutional independence, increase scrutiny and make judicial processes more specialised and effective. This includes the reform of judicial appointments, the establishment of the Commissioner for Standards in the Judiciary, the establishment of a specialised Commercial Court and the reform of the Family Court. Work has also been carried out on the reform of Magisterial Inquiries.

The Judicial System has continued to be given more tools to operate, both within the Office of the Attorney General and also in the Courts: in 2020, the judiciary consisted of 43 members, whereas today it numbers around 62 members, an increase of more than 40 per cent. Today there are more than 48 full-time Court Advocates and more than 51 Judicial Assistants qualified in law.

Today, Judges and Magistrates are appointed by the President of the Republic on the recommendation of the Judicial Appointments Committee following a public call for nominations. This means that the Government consciously chose to limit its own power, the ministry said.

“The Rule of Law does not mean that politicians decide which person should be charged, found guilty or released. It means that investigators investigate, prosecutors take the decisions entrusted to them by law, and the Courts adjudicate independently,” the ministry said.

“This Government chose a consistent path, that of strengthening the institutions while not interfering in their decisions.”

The Ministry reiterated that the institutions must be allowed to do their work, while, as a Government, all the necessary resources will continue to be provided to investigators so that they can carry out their work in accordance with what has been ordered by the Court.