Robert Abela has called out magistrates responsible for “unacceptable” delays in concluding inquiries, using the death of 20-year-old Jean Paul Sofia as a case in point. During a sharply worded speech in parliament on Monday evening, the prime minister noted that, three months after Sofia’s death in a construction site collapse in Corradino, the initial stages of an inquiry into the incident have not yet been concluded. “The procès-verbal is not wrapped up, and nobody has been charged,” Abela said. The procès-verbal is a report on the findings of a magisterial inquiry, that is then presented in court as part of the compilation of evidence against anyone charged with a crime on the basis of that inquiry's findings. Abela referred to the construction site accident as he praised retired judge Joe Zammit McKeon, who was unanimously approved by parliament to become Ombudsman on Monday. Prime Minister Robert Abela in Parliament on Monday. Abela noted that in his 12 years as a judge, McKeon had issued 2,106 court sentences. “That is a case for every two days,” he said. “It is important for current members of the judiciary to note this statistic, particularly inquiring...
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