16 Year Court Delay Prevented Man From Travelling To Give Kidney To His Mother – Who Then Died
Another case of court delays ended up being fatal as a man whose case extended an astonishing 16 years says it prevented him from donating a kidney to his mother abroad, who died shortly after.
Giordian Azuogu Ohaegbu, a 48-year-old Nigerian, opened a case against the State Attorney and he explained that he was brought to the Magistrates’ Court in 2007 on accusations of drug trafficking.
He argued that even though 16 years have passed, the prosecution has not yet finished compiling evidence and complained that his rights to a proper hearing within a reasonable time were violated.
However, the State Attorney countered by saying that the fact that the compilation has been going on for a number of years, does not mean that there is an unjustified delay.
Judge Joanne Vella Cuschieri, who heard the case, pointed out that during these years, the case changed three magistrates, four inspectors and four attorneys general, in a total of 166 hearings.
She also pointed out that the accused was not given permission to attend his mother’s funeral, or travel in order to donate a kidney to her due to the court case.
The judge said that even after nearly two decades, there was no glimmer of hope as to when the case will be closed, and that nothing can justify this delay.
Ohaegbu’s request was accepted and the State Attorney was ordered to fork out compensation of €4,500.
A copy of the sentence will be sent to the Speaker of Parliament and the magistrate who is hearing the case where Ohaegbu is charged with drug trafficking.
Delays from Malta’s courts are a major issue, and often mean inquiries can take years to complete. The public often takes the brunt of the consequences, suffering fatigue trying to keep up with the new scandals that emerge each year in Malta.
It comes as no surprise when, according to a 2020 EU study of Malta’s courts, found that its delays are some of the longest in Europe.
It takes an average of 2,250 days to resolve a money laundering case, 1,100 days to resolve a civil suit if it goes to appeal, and 1,000 days for administrative matters. In each instance, Malta tops the list by some margin.
How can Malta solve its court delays issue?
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