Analysis: Bail Money’s Origins Are Rarely Explored In Malta’s Court Of Law And Lux
So – you’ve just dipped your fingers in one or more of the harmful rackets this nation’s underworld offers and it’s making you feel like you’re on top of the world.
Cash is flowing; luxury items now seem affordable and your self-status is already on top amongst other shady gaffers whom also drink from the same illicit tit.
But you have a problem – you got caught by the police and you’ve been arrested and charged in court.
First thing’s first, a good lawyer to represent you.
They’ll help to keep your darkest secrets hidden in plain sight, whilst battling prosecution to lower sentence terms, or by simply stating that the intentions of the crime committed weren’t done out of malice but rather to support a needy family or some other tear-inducing story that is embellished and acted upon in our courts thus granting the accused an array of favourable terms.
And this is where we come to the bail guarantee system set by the same court that reviews and plays judge to the case.
Imposed bails conditions on accused individuals are set according to the nature of the crime committed and its severity or outcome on victims if present. This is meant to impose conditions on the accused, where if such conditions are breached the sum held will be withdrawn by the courts of law.
It is common practice that such bails reach five figures, making it seem difficult for the accused to come up with the money.
But oftentimes, it’s not… On countless occasions, the sum imposed is met gracefully and in some cases to an extent that it is deposited in full on the same date the case is reviewed.
We have seen situations where a person accused of aggravated theft gets an imposed bail tenfold the value stolen, with no regards as to where the deposited money came from?
Or a shady drug dealer gets caught trafficking narcotics and also gets a huge bail guarantee set on his name, and casually deposits it in cash…
If the person is caught committing a crime which pays heavily, why is no one even raising the inquiry of how the deposited money was obtained?
Why is no one conducting wealth management on these nefarious individuals, all sporting luxury in the face of other good-willed hard workers?
Is our nation’s justice system making way for embezzlers to wash their dirty money through the same system meant to rectify these crimes?
Not mentioning the fact that in some cases where a victim is present in the case, they’ll be left without any contribution apart from the fact that the accused still roams freely, possibly approaching the same victim once again.
These questions surface from time to time but anyone seeking the correct answers soon lose interest as if these under-the-table negotiations are uncovered, some toes may be stepped on.
Law enforcement authorities also try to solicit such criminals in divulging other important bits of information linked to major crimes, saying such criminals are informants.
If information is required by authorities, it needs to be obtained cleanly and with transparent disclosure, not by fitting certain individuals into a ring of protection by the same body meant to enforce and protect.
Do you think the origins of bail money should be explored further?