Matthew Vella
Labour MP and justice spokesperson José Herrera has urged government to stop appointing parallel boards of inquiry when court magistrates are carrying out their own inquiries.
The MP was referring to specific cases in which criminal liability is investigated by a magistrate, while government appoints an ad hoc board of inquiry – led by lawyers or retired judges – to carry out their own findings.
A case in point were the inquiries into the death of Gunner Matthew Psaila, the young soldier who died in a drowning accident during an army training session in Chadwick Lakes last February.
Such inquiries often have no legal standing except to offer recommendations to the government.
Herrera said the Opposition was concerned at the number of parallel inquiries on the same incidents, which were “creating a state of confusion and impinging upon the independence of the courts.”
He said government should not appoint its own boards of inquiry: “It’s being interpreted as a direct interference in the work of our courts and it is unacceptable. It’s creating another authority to supervise our Courts, undermining its independence.”
Herrera pointed out that parallel inquiries can come to contrasting conclusions, creating a “state of uncertainty”.
Herrera said the law required the judiciary to carry out certain inquiries, for the fact that it is independent of the executive, and allows inquiries to be carried out more transparently.
“Government must be more prudent or it risks undermining confidence n the courts,” Herrera said.
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