Addressing a press conference in Victoria, Dr. Harry Vassallo said that though the transfer of the law courts from the Cittadella was warranted, the proposed relocation to a school complex was a deplorable scheme.

“The site being put forward by the government is grossly misguided on two counts: firstly it does nothing in terms of diminishing the chronic traffic and pollution problem in Victoria and secondly, it gravely endangers the welfare of school children by bringing them into close daily contact with persons attending court, some of whom may be a completely undesirable. It would further compound the menace posed by those who already routinely loiter outside the school, an unchecked vice afflicting every educational institution in the nation”, Dr. Vassallo said.

“‘As matters stand, it is already hard enough to keep the vicinity of schools free from drug peddlers and other criminals without the government providing them with an excellent excuse for their presence”, Dr. Vassallo stated. “In the normal course of business, children are not allowed into court buildings at all, unless exceptional circumstances apply.”

Dr. Vassallo urged the Ministry for Gozo and the Ministry for Home Affairs to seriously reconsider their plans and called on the Commissioner for Children to pursue the issue and make her recommendations.

Victor Galea, AD secretary general and spokesperson for Gozo said that given that the present premises in the Cittadella are inadequate to accommodate the volume of legal work coupled with the consequent concentration of traffic in the heart of Victoria, Alternattiva Demokratika proposed instead that the law courts be moved to the outskirts of Victoria to a vacant complex formerly rented to Malta Dairy Products.

“Not only does it afford ample office space but AD also proposes that this new complex should include other services such as a Public Registry, a Regional Police HeadQuarters with lock up cells, the fire brigade and Rescue Centre, Regional Attorney General office, Regional office for Local Government and any other department which falls under the Ministry of Justice and Internal affairs. This way Gozitans will be better serviced through these proposals and the traffic congestion in Victoria would be eased considerably” concluded Mr Galea.