Concerns that jurors may not have the necessary skills to reach an impartial verdict have been raised by the family of a murdered man.

This issued was raised in a demand for constitutional referral the family of Roderick Grech a few weeks before the trial was due to start, according to Malta Today.

Roderick Grech, aka ‘Ic-China’, was allegedly murdered in the early hours of 29th March 2017 by Etienne Bartolo, aka ‘il-Vojt’, after the pair got into an argument over an unpaid debt for drugs.

Jordan Azzopardi, the infamous drug kingpin at the centre of his own high profile case, is set to testify. This, legal experts said, raises serious questions about the case.

They argued that while a heavily-reported compilation of evidence against Azzopardi continues may also jeopardise the right to a fair trial in Grech’s case.

Legal sources have also questioned why this particular case has been fast-tracked to appear in front of a jury, when there are pending cases dating back to 2012.

With regards to the demand for constitutional referral itself, lawyer Franco Debono argues that the jury “have a lack of training which itself breaches the fundamental rights of the accused and the parte civil to have this case heard in the most judicious and impartial of ways.”

Unlike other countries, Malta’s jurors are not explained legal concepts and what is expected of them until the proceedings have ended. This, the family argues, means they are unable to deliberate in an impartial manner.

The demand for constitutional referral also argues that the family’s rights are also breached because they are not able to participate during the prosecution, a complete contrast to the compilation of evidence.

Debono has a history with constitutional reform and the jury system, already raising the issue of how jurors are selected in a separate murder case.

The move, which is so close to the trial, has been questioned.

“The family is instating that jurors are not skilled in reaching a proper legal verdict and that as part civil they have limited input in the Attorney General’s prosecution during the trial. But it’s an eleventh-hour request…not by the defendant but by the family of the victim: why?,” police sources told Malta Today.