A magistrate’s ruling has brought breach of bail proceedings to a standstill until a Constitutional referral - on the status of a law obliging the courts to seize bail guarantees once a breach has been confirmed - is decided. The automatic confiscation was contested by the defence bench, with lawyers Franco Debono and Francesca Zarb arguing that the issue was currently the subject of a separate Constitutional case. Magistrate Camilleri acceded to the request to suspend proceedings until the Constitutional reference in that case is decided. Lawyers say the decision has placed all breach of bail proceedings in “legal limbo” until the De Las Heras case is decided. Parliament is discussing a bill proposing the addressing of the situation with respect to bail guarantees and the granting of more discretion to courts in deciding whether to seize them or not.

Source: Libya Today April 07, 2021 11:15 UTC