Watch: Cannabis Expungement Still On But Not From Complete Criminal Records
People who were convicted of cannabis-related crimes prior to decriminalisation can still request their expungement from criminal records.
However, these old crimes are still being listed in people’s fedina penali – their complete criminal conviction record that is only accessible by authorities and security forces.
During a recent Popolin debate, ARUC head Joey Reno Vella confirmed that people who were convicted of any crime that has since been decriminalised can simply send the police a letter to expunge it from their criminal records.
This means that the general public, including their current and potential employers, cannot find out whether they had been convicted of a cannabis possession-related crime in the past.
However, the law doesn’t make reference to the fedina penali – an internal record of people’s complete criminal history that is only accessible by the security forces and the authorities, including ARUC.
Vella said that he needs to have access to this list to ensure that people in charge of cannabis associations don’t have a past of “irresponsible behaviour”.
However, he clarified with Lovin Malta that this doesn’t mean that people who were previously convicted of cannabis possession are being excluded from running associations. Instead, he said he has access to the record to ensure that people who were convicted of serious crimes don’t end up running associations.
Cannabis lobby group Releaf had criticised Vella for “allowing discriminatory practices and dehumanising tools directly impacting equal opportunities for thousands”.
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