Petition No.: 54 Signatures: 4005
Fourteenth Legislature (2022 - )
Details - Online
Title
Maltese citizen, who commits crime in Malta, even if country is outside of Malta, be tried in Malta
Date
06-12-2024
Date petition closes for signatures
08-02-2025
Creator of petition
LUCIENNE MELI BELLIZZI
Grievance
Extradition procedures should never replace the judicial process in Malta where the crime was committed by a Maltese citizen and the crime was committed in Malta and from Malta, as in the case of computer hacking and similar crimes.
A decision to extradite a person has a big and probably lasting impact on the life of that person, and therefore the Parliament and the Government should see that where the crime and who commits it are linked to Malta, even if the crime leaves victims in other countries, the accused is tried and faces justice in his country and is not sent to another country with which he has no connection.
The State must show a commitment to bear the responsibility of criminally leading against Maltese who commit crimes in Malta and from Malta, even if they leave an effect or damage in other parts of the world. This is also so that the individual is given all the constitutional guarantees that Malta offers. The State must show confidence in its judicial system and not rely on anyone else's.
A decision to extradite a person has a big and probably lasting impact on the life of that person, and therefore the Parliament and the Government should see that where the crime and who commits it are linked to Malta, even if the crime leaves victims in other countries, the accused is tried and faces justice in his country and is not sent to another country with which he has no connection.
The State must show a commitment to bear the responsibility of criminally leading against Maltese who commit crimes in Malta and from Malta, even if they leave an effect or damage in other parts of the world. This is also so that the individual is given all the constitutional guarantees that Malta offers. The State must show confidence in its judicial system and not rely on anyone else's.
Wherefore I/we respectfully request the House of Representatives to
We would like all the necessary steps to be taken so that a Maltese citizen who has committed a crime from and within Malta, even if the material evidence is not found in Malta, will be tried by the Maltese Courts and if he is guilty he will be punished in Malta and he is not extradited to be tried by a country where he alleges that he suffered damage due to the crime, as in the case of crimes involving computers.
Closing remarks
Extradition procedures should never serve as 'outsourcing of judicial functions', where the Maltese State releases a citizen who has committed a crime in and from Malta to another country who claims to have suffered the effects of that crime, such as in the case of crimes involving computers. If the main factors link the person and the crime to Malta, then it is within Malta that justice should be done, even in the interest of the other country.