Ever since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Malta, there have been a number of legal notices regulating judicial proceedings and the relative time frames. Such proceedings have been largely impacted following the closure of the courts by means of the Closure of the Courts of Justice Order, L.N 65 of 2020 (the "Order").
It is pertinent to note that the Order only applies to any court, tribunal, board, commission, committee or any other entity operating from within the building of the Courts of Justice in Valletta.
Legal Notice 141 of 2020 provides for the suspension of all legal and judicial times affected by the Order as follows:-
(a) any substantive or procedural law time limit, including any period of prescription and any peremptory period shall remain suspended until seven (7) days following the lifting of the Order;
(b) any time limit decreed or otherwise ordered by any court, government department, government agency or public authority shall also remain suspended until seven (7) days following the lifting of the Order;
(c) any time period established in any agreement (private writing or public deed), including any time period stipulated for the performance of any obligation set out in such agreement shall remain suspended until twenty (20) days following the lifting of the Order if and to the extent that the Order has a direct effect on the ability of any party to exercise its rights or to perform its obligations in terms of the same agreement;
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
