politics
PN's Joe Giglio Opposes Jury Verdict Explanation Reform
Nationalist Party shadow justice minister Joe Giglio has defended Malta's jury system, pushing back against calls to overhaul it after two high-profile murder trial acquittals within two months.
Giglio acknowledged there was room for limited changes, citing the need for a more transparent jury selection process and deeper background checks on jurors. However, he stopped short of endorsing any structural overhaul, arguing that acquittals do not indicate a broken system.
He also opposed requiring jurors to provide written reasons for their verdicts, warning that this would compromise juror anonymity.
On the specific case of Cisse's murder, Giglio raised questions about prosecutorial strategy, asking whether splitting the two accused into separate trials was the right call. He stressed that responsibility for acquittals lies with multiple parties, including investigators and prosecutors, and not with jurors alone.
His remarks follow a claim by PN MP Mark Anthony Sammut that Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg had intentionally weakened her office. Giglio was speaking before the accused in a separate case, Scicluna, was subsequently convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison for a racially motivated hit-and-run.
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