The legal profession is currently regulated across various existing legislative acts. A 2021 Act introduced key provisions, such as an obligatory register for warranted professionals and enhanced anti-money laundering measures, which are already in force.
The need for a unified law to regulate the legal profession has been discussed since at least 2008, and stakeholders, including the Chamber President, have expressed disappointment at the slow progress.
In October 2016, then Justice Minister Owen Bonnici promised that a bill to regulate the legal profession would be tabled in Parliament before the end of that year, a promise that, however, was never to be.
A previous bill aimed at amending the legal profession was effectively scrapped in early 2022 as the government and the Chamber continued discussions on necessary changes.
To date, the Maltese government is still engaged in ongoing discussions with the Chamber of Advocates regarding a comprehensive Lawyers Act, but a new overarching law has not yet been enacted as of December 2025.
Will we ever see a final and enacted unified law that regulates the legal profession by modern standards?
Freezing orders can create injustice
Malta has recently amended its laws, primarily the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), to introduce significant changes to freezing orders, aiming for more balanced and effective financial crime procedures by allowing for proportional asset release (e.g., living expenses) and clarifying procedures, though debates continue on effectiveness and ensuring proportionality, particularly concerning fundamental rights vs. societal interest.
Gaps can still be identified in the application of freezing orders, leading to human rights violations, especially regarding property rights.
Freezing orders can affect third parties, such as business associates. Injustices can arise if the order is not clearly defined or extends to assets that the defendant or convicted person clearly did not acquire from illicit or criminal activities, or if third parties face undue burdens in complying with the order.
As it currently stands, freezing orders generally also cover inherited property that is jointly owned with third parties and are not limited to the respondent’s interest in the property subject to the order, as they should rightfully be.
A case in point is where the defendant holds inherited property in undivided shares with his co-heirs. In such a situation, of which there is more than one such situation pending in our courts, the extraneous co-heirs are ending up with no effective judicial remedy to address their plight.
Perhaps it is time to further amend our freezing orders legislation to cater for such recurring injustices.
The justice minister should take heed of this legitimate grievance.
Smoke-filled bus stops and termini
Since 2011, smoking at bus stops and termini has been illegal and strictly prohibited.
Well, just wait for a bus to arrive at the Valletta bus terminus, and you’ll see more than one person heavily smoking away within touching distance of other non-smoking waiting commuters. By the time a bus arrives to board waiting passengers, non-smoking commuters will have become almost suffocated with second-hand smoke, with their clothes reeking of nicotine smoke.
This happens on a daily basis and not just at the Valletta bus terminus but even at other heavily frequented bus stops over the island.
Is it so difficult for the police, LESA or Transport Malta enforcement officers to ensure that a clear law like this is strictly enforced?