Criminal Code (Cap. 9)
Criminal Code (Cap. 9), article 605
605. (1) The Commissioner of Police or his representative, the
Senior Magistrate, the Attorney General or his representative, the
President of the Chamber of A dvocates and the President of the
Chamber of Legal Procurators shall, twice a year, attend a meet ing
called by the Director, Criminal Courts and Tribunals, to draw up to
the best of their knowledge -
(a) a list of persons duly qu alified and sufficiently
competent to serve as jurors for the trial of Maltese-
speaking persons;
(b) a list of persons who, being duly qualified to serve as
jurors in all respects other than a competent
knowledge of the Maltese language, are competently
versed in the English language so as to be able to
understand and follow the proceedings conducted in
that language.
(2) The lists shall be called the "List of Jurors for the trial of
Maltese-speaking persons" and the "List of Special Jurors for t he
trial of English-speaking persons" respectively. The lists shal l be
drawn up in alphabetical order of surnames and shall contain th e
name, surname, profession a nd residence of each juror.
(3) From the entire number of per sons shown on the said lists a
CRIMINAL CODE [CAP. 9. 381
further list shall be drawn up containing the names of persons
competent to serve as foremen. The number of foremen shall not
exceed one-sixth of the en tire number in each list.
(4) The foremen shall possess the further qualification of
having actually served on a jury in the Criminal Court.
(5) The lists shall be published in the Gazette in the month of
August of each year.
(6) Within fifteen days from the publication of the lists, any
person who, possessing the qualifications required by law to se rve
as a juror or special juror, may desire to be registered, or wh o, not
possessing the qualifications required by law to serve as a jur or or
special juror, may desire to be struck off the list, shall make an
application to that eff ect to the Criminal Court.
(7) The court shall proceed sum marily on the application.
(8) The registrar shall note on the lists any corrections which
the court may order.
(9) Within the first fifteen days in the month of November of
each year, the amended lists of jurors and of special jurors li able to
serve in the following year, shal l be published in the Gazette:
Provided, however, that it shal l be lawful for the officials
referred to in sub-article (1) at any time to add to the said l ists the
name of any other qualified juror or special juror, and, in any such
case, any name so added shall be published in the Gazette and t he
provisions of sub-articles ( 6), (7) and (8) shall apply.
(10) Supplementary amended lists of jurors and of special juror s
with such corrections as may be ordered by the court shall be
published in the Gazette.
(11) Upon the publication of the lists referred to in sub-artic les
(9) and (10), the names of the persons entered on the lists sha ll be
written on separate ballots of parchment or paper as nearly as may
be equal in shape and size. The names of the jurors and of the
foremen of jurors shall be put in two separate boxes and the na mes
of the special jurors and of the special foremen of jurors shal l be
put in two other separate boxes.
(12) The boxes shall be kept by t he registrar under lock and ke y
and shall be opened in the pre sence of the judge or judges in o pen
court.
(13) It shall be lawful for the judges of the Criminal Court or
for any two of such judges to cau se the names of the persons wh om
the said judges shall deem to be incompetent to serve as jurors to be
struck off the lists.
Monthly
drawing of
ballots.
Amended by:
IV .1856.45;
X.1896.8;
III.1976.7;
XIV .1976.3;
XVI.2006.19.
Text read from the consolidated PDF published by Legislation Malta. Tables, figures and marginal notes may be incomplete or out of place: the official PDF is authoritative. General information, not legal, tax or accounting advice.