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Maltese Lawyers Receive Official Directive To Stop Going To Court

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Lawyers have been instructed by the Chamber of Advocates, the body representing the legal profession, to not attend court or tribunal sittings as of Monday as a preventative measure to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

“After a series of meetings and attempts by the Chamber of Advocates with the authorities to immediately take the necessary preventive measures in our Courts to control and limit the potential risks from the COVID-19 virus, it seems that to date, Government is not considering such measures as necessary,” the Chamber said.

“The Chamber is against this – as it believes that as a public space, our Law Courts  tend to attract large numbers of people on a daily basis, not only inside the courtrooms but even in the common areas of the building. Activity inside the Courts of Justice is deemed as daily public activity and this issue needs to be addressed in order to minimise human interactions that could contribute further to the spread of this virus.”

“The Chamber believes that the current situation is not the ideal one to protect the health of all those involved including lawyers, the judiciary, the Court employees and the general public and this situation needs to be addressed in an immediate and decisive manner.”

“This has now prompted the Chamber to issue this directive to all lawyers so that with effect from Monday 16th March 2020, no lawyer should attend any Court or Tribunal sitting until a different directive is issued. With the exception of inevitable situations and in order to comply with legal time frames for the filing of judicial acts.”

“The Chamber of Advocates hopes that the competent authorities will intervene so that effective and immediate measures are taken to suspend all activity inside the Courts before Monday the 16th of March.”

“The Chamber of Advocates is going to remain in constant contact with the authorities and the Courts to follow how this situation will develop and will be updating all lawyers accordingly, through announcements on its website www.avukati.org.”

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Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]

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