ACT No. XXX II AN ACT to provide for cerwill judjcial procedures.

I assent.

(L.s.)

UGO M IPSUD B ONN le l

President

30th Dece mber, 1997

or 1997

ACT No. XXX II

AN ACT to provide for cerwill judjcial procedures.

BE IT ENACTED by the President, by and with the advice and

consen t of the House of Representatives, in this present Parliament

asse mbled, and by the authority of the same, as follows

This Act may be cited as the Judicial Procedures (Special _UrIc.

Provisions) Act, 1997.

(I) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 24 o f the v_ ... or

Relelling of Urban Property (Regulation) Ordinance, as amended by ~""""",",,".

':;ux

the Laws (Boards) (Amendment) Act, 1993 , and of section 10 o f the

Agricultural Leases (Reletting) Act, as amended by the said Laws Cop. l9!l.

(Boards) (Amendment) Act, 1993, appeals from the Rent Regulation

Board and the Agricultural Leases Control Board, appointed for hearing

before the Court of Appeal , as ordinaril y constituted, between the 1st

Oc tobe r , 1993 and the co ming into force of this Ac t , shall,

notwithstanding that they were not appointed for hearing before the

said court as constituted in terms of subsecti on (6) of section 41 of the

Code of Organization and Civil Procedure, be deemed 10 have been Cop. ll.

validly appointed and shall continue to be heard and detennined by the

said court as ordinarily constituted, and any case so appointed before

the said court, as ordinarily consliluted, and determined before the

coming into force of this Act, shall be deemed 10 have been validly

detennined notw ithslanding that the Courtof Appeal was not constituted

in terms of subsecti on (6) of section 41 of the said Code.

(2) Notwit hstanding the provisions of sllbsectiol1 (6) of

s ... -':Iioll .t I of the Code of Org:lni Wliol1 :lnd Civil Procedure. :lppeals

from the Court of Magismllcs (GolO) in its superior jurisdiction which

from the lSI of January. 1996 unti l tho,; (:()Illi ng imo force of Ihi$ Act

were nppointed for hearing before Ihe Court of Appeal as constilll ted in

t.:ml$ of subsection (6) of the said section 41 , shall, Rotwithstanding

that they were nOl appointed for hear ing before the smlle court differently

col1stituted. be deemed to have beeR ya lidl y appo inted and shall con tiflue

to be heard and determil1lxl by the said COllrt as constitu ted in ternlS of

subsc<:tiol1 (6) of the S:lid section 4 1.and any appeal so appointed before

1,1e said COll rt and determined before the comitlg illlo force of this Act

shall be <teemed 10 have been validly dctennined nOlwithstandi l1 g that

the Court of Appeal was nO( eOI1Stitu ted in terms of subsectiol1 ( I) of

section 41 of the said Code.

(3) All appeals from dec isions of the Court of Magistrates

for the Islands of Gozo and Comino wh ic h, immediately before the

coming inlo force of paragra ph (d) of section 24 of the Code of

Organi zati on and Civil Procedu re (Amend me nt ) Act, 1995. we re

pe ndi ng before the same court co nstitUied as an appellate Court il] terms

of subsection (3) of section 50 of the Code of Organization and Civil

Procedure before the said subsectiol] was repealed by the said paragraph

(d) of the said sect ion 24 shall. 110twithstanding the provisions of

subsection (5) of section 4 1 of the same Code, be reappointed for heari ng

and event ual j udgme nt before the Coun of Appea l constituted as

provided in subsection (6) of the said section 4 1 and lhe provisions of

subsection (7) o f the same section 4 1 shall apply 10 all such appeals

irrespective of whether the appeal is from the Cou rt o f Magistrates for

the Islands of Gozo and Comino in its superior or infe rior jurisdiction.

3,

The Criminal Code shall be amended as follows

(a)

in section 41 8 the reof

( i) the present provision shall be renumbe red as

subsection ( I); and

(i i) immediately after subsection ( I) as re numbered

there sha ll be added the following new subsection

"(2) For the hearing of ap peals from decis ions of

lhe Cou rt of Magistrates (GolO) as cou n of crimi nal

j ud icature the Coun of Criminal Appeal shall hold its

sittings in GolO:';

(b)

in section 646 thereof

(i)

ill subsection (2) thereof -

( I, for the words "shall be IXlrnissible as evidence

if - " th ere shall be subst ituted Ihe words "shall be

admissible as evidence

Provided that the witness is also produced in Coun

to be examined vivll voce as provided in subsection ( I ,

unless the witness is dead, absen t from Malta or cannol

be found and saving the provisions of suDsection (8).";

,,"

(2)

paragraphs (a) and (b) thereof shall bedeleted;

(ii) subsect ions (8), (9) and (10) thereo f shall be

umbered (9). (10) and (II) respectively

(iii) for subsection (7) thereofthc re shall be substituted

followi ng subsectio ns

"(7) Notwi thstanding the provis ions of th is Code

or of any other law. a cenificate purporting to be issued

by a registered medical practitioner or registered de nial

surgeon concerning his examination of any person ,

whethe r alive or dead, or concerning any bodi ly haon

suffered by ,or any physical ormental infirmity afflicting.

any person. shall be admissible as evidence and shal l.

until the contrary is proved, be evidence of its contents.

provided the cen ificate bears the clearly legible stamp

of the medical practitioner or registered de ntal surgeon

issuing it showing his name, professional qualifications.

expert ise and address and provided that such cenificate

is confirmed by the a ffidavit of the medical practitioner

or the dental surgeon, as the case may be: provided

funher that it shall be lawful for either of the parties to

produce the said medical practitioner or the said den tal

surgeon,as thecase maybe, for the purpose of examining

him in co urt and viva voce, as well as for tile coun ex

officio to require such examinat ion,

(8) The depos itio n o f any registered medical

practitioner or registered den tal su rgeon annexed to a

proc~s-verbal, or of any such medical practitio ner or

dent al surgeon ClIamined in the course of the inquiry, in

relatio n to his examination of any person. whether al ive

or dead,or in relation to any bodily harm suffered by .or

any physical Of mental infimlity amicli ng. any person.

shull be udmissib le us ev idence wi tho ut the need of

produci ng the said nlC<Jica l practitio ner o r dental surgeon

ill coun as provided in the proviso to subsection (2J

provided that . unle ss the witness is dead. abse nt from

Malta o r ca nno t be found, it stlall be la wful fOf either of

the panies todcrnand.or fo r the coun t X oifido to require ,

that suc h witness be again exami ned iJl coun and vil'II

~oct . " ; an d

(iv) in s ubsection ( II ) thereof. as l'entl mbcred, for the

words "that a witness is dead o r abse nt," there shall be

s ubstituted the words "that a wi tness is dead ,absent orC3nnot

be fo und," and for the words "for the co urt to admit hi s

deposition on" the re shall be substituted the words "for the

coun to consider the allegation proved by"; and

(c) immediatel y after subsectio n (5) of section 650 thereof,

there shall be added the fo ll owing new subsecti o n

"(6) 'The Court 's deci sion to appoint experts shall

be reduced to writing and shall be served on the experts

so appointed.",

Passed by the House of Represe ntat ives at Sitting No. 167 of the 15th December.

M VRIAM SPITIRI DEBOSO

Speaur

R ICHARD J. CAUCHI

Cler k to the House of Representatives

\J-Kodici Kriminali ghandujigi eme ndat kifgej

(a)

Il-artikolu 418 tieghu

(i) id-dispoiiujoni preienti ghandha tig; enurnerata

mill-gdid bhala subanikolu (I); u

(il) minnufih warn s-subanikolu (I) kif enumerat mill-

gdid ghandu jiidied is-subanikolu gdid Ii gej

"(2) Ghas-srnigh ta' appeUi minn deCiijonijiet tal-

Qorti tal-Magistrnti (Ghawdex) bhaJa qorti [a' gudikatura

kriminali I-Qoni la' I-Appell Kriminali ghandha i:i:omm

is-seduti taghha fGhawdex."

(b)

Il-anikolu 646 lieghu

(i) fls-subanikolu (2) lieghu -

minnok il-klie m "tisln' tingie b bhala prova

(I)

jckk - " ghand hom jidh lu I·kli em "ti .~ w· ting ieb hhala

prova

Bam Ii 1I-lIhlld jingieb lI koll fil -Qon i bicll jigi

eiami nal l"il'U m(:~ k i r pro\'dul fi s·s ubartik olll (I) hI id

jekk ill-ll hod ikun mejje t, iklln bamt minn Mahajew ma

j kllnll j isla' jinsab 1I bla hsara g!lad-dispo:i;iajon ijiet !as-

slIbart ikol ll (8)."; u

(2 )

ii 'para grafi (a) u ( b) , tie g hll g handhom

jit~sru ;

(ii) is-suban ikoli (8),(9) u (10) lieghu g hartdhom jigu

enllmcrali mill-gdid (9)_ ( 10) u (I I) rispelliva mcnl;

(iii) minnok is-subartikolll (7) (iegh u ghandhomj idhlu

dawn is-suba rtikoli Ii gejjin

Minkejjad-dispoiizzjonijiet Ill' dan il-Koditi

"(7)

jew ta ' klll1ligi ohra.eenifikat lijkunjidherli gie mahrug

minn labib registrlli jew kirurgu dentali regislrat dwar \-

eimni lieghu la' IIi persuna , sew jekk tla,ija jew mejta,

jew dwar xi offiu fuq il-persllna Ii xi hadd isafri jew

dwar IIi maroa fiii kajew tal-mohh Ii IIi hadd ikollu,jisla'

jingieb bhala prova u, sakemm rna jigix ippruval il-

kunlrarju, ghand u jkun prova laI-kontenul tieghu, basta

Ii c-eenifikat ikollu I-limbru Ii j inqara car tat -tabib jew

kirurgu dentali Ii johrog dak ic-een ifikat Ii jkun juri ismu,

il- kwalifik i pro fessjonali liegtlu , I-ispecjalizzazzjoni

tieghll 1I J-ind iriu tieghu u basta dak ic-ee nifikal iku n

konferrnat b ' affidavil mil-labib jew mill-kirurgu denlali.

skond ii -hi: ii'.da wkol1 , il-parti I-wahda u l-ohra jisighu

jgibu lilJ -imse mmi tab ib jew lill-imsc mmi kirurgu

denlali , skond il-kai:, biex jigi elaminat fil -qolti u viva

voce, u l-qon i lisla' wkoll ex offiCiO lordna dak l-eimni.

(8)

b -lliehda 13' tabib registratjew kirurgu dentali

regislral annessa ma' proCess verbal, jew ta ' tabib jew

kirurgu dentali bhal dak Ii jkun gie mismu gh malUl il-

kornpilazzjoni dwar l-eimni lieghu ta ' IIi persuna, sew

jekk ha.ija se w jekk mejia, jew dwar II i offiza fuq iI -

persuna Ii xi hadd isofri jew dwar xi marda fiiika jew

tal -mohh Ii IIi hadd ikollu. lisla ' tingieb bhala proya

minghaj r il- ht iega Ii l-imsemmi labib jew kirurgu dental i

jingieb fiI -qoni ki f provdUl fit -proviso 1a5-subanik olu

(2): iida . hliefjekk ix · ~h ud ikun me.i.iel. ikun harm minn

M31ta jew ma jhn,\ jista' jinstab. il-parti l-waMa u 1_

ohrJ jislghu jitolbu. jew il-qoni lista' ex (lffici() torona.

li dak i ~ , ~hod jerga 'jigi ciam i nal fil-qort i u vir" \'OCe ,";

"

(iv) fi s-s ubnrtikolu ( II) licghu. kif en urncral mill-gdid.

minOok il,kliem --Ii ~i ~hud mietjew siefer:' ghandhomjidhl u

I, klicm Mli ~i xhud miet, sider jew ma j kun~ji sla ' j instab:' u

minflok il-kliem "il.qorti tisla' lippermetti 1 i lingieb i~ -xiehda

tieghu fuq ir-mpport" ghandh.)mjidhlu I-kliem "iI-qorti tista'

tq;s ],al1egazzjoni ippruvata bir-rapport" ; u

(c) minnufih warn s-subartikol u (S) 1J1' I-anikolu 650 tieghu

ghandu jiidied dan is-s ubanikolu gdid Ii gej

H(6) Id-dei:iijoni ral-qorti Ii lahtar periti ghandha

lilniiiel bil· miktub u gt\andha lig; notifikata liII-esperti

hekk mahlura,",

Mghoddi mill-Kamra tad-Depulati fis-Sedula Nru 167 tal-IS taO Dieernbru , 1997.

MYRI.-\M SPITERI DEBONO

Speolar

SkriwJn tal-Kamro tod-Depu/uli