Reform of court expert system on the cards, as costs spiral upwards

A new procurement system for court experts is being considered by the government to curtail the spiralling cost of complex magisterial investigations.

Government sources said the system was raised during internal talks on an ongoing cost-cutting exercise across the entire public sector. One high-ranking government source said the aim is to save up to €1 million from the courts next year. The government is trying to cut €200 million from its annual budget to finance its policy of subsidising energy bills. 'Astronomical' cost of some court investigations

It is understood that the way court experts are appointed, and the “astronomical” cost of some court investigations were flagged during a review of public sector spending recently carried out by the Finance Ministry. A 15-month-long inquiry into claims the wife of former prime minister Joseph Muscat held an offshore company called Egrant cost at least €1.3 million in 2018.

At the time it was the most expensive inquiry in the history of Malta’s courts.

Two years later, a voluminous magisterial inquiry report into the now-defunct Pilatus Bank cost the taxpayer some €7.5 million. Justice Ministry sources said that aside from the...