06/05/2026
โ๏ธ โ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐, ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐?โ - ๐ผ ๐ฆ๐ช๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ค๐ ๐ก๐๐ฌ, ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ปโโ๏ธ
Two judgments delivered within days of each other ignited a wave of public outrage, and understandably so.
๐ In ''The Republic of Malta vs Gordian Azuogu Ohaegbu'', of 29th April 2026, the Court dealt with offences dating back to 2007, where the accused was involved in the organised importation and distribution of over 1.7 kilograms of co***ne, valued at tens of thousands of euro. After nearly 19 years of proceedings, during which the accused was even awarded damages for unreasonable delay, the Court ultimately sentenced him to 12 years and 6 months imprisonment.
๐ Just one day earlier, in Il-Pulizija vs Mufarrih Shah, the Court of Criminal Appeal confirmed an 8-year prison sentence for a man convicted of repeated sexual acts on a 10-year-old child, including conduct amounting to corruption of a minor, sexual harassment, and coercive behaviour against a vulnerable victim.
Placed side by side, the question most of the general public asked themselves was the following: ''๐๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ถ๐จ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ค๐ต ๐ข ๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ข ๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ญ๐ฅ?''
๐๐ก๐ โ๐๐ญ๐ญ ๐ญ๐โ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ฎลผ๐โ: ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง
To understand this, one must begin not with the sentence, but with the charges.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ช ๐๐๐จ๐
๐ In the Ohaegbu case, the accused was indicted under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Chapter 101), particularly provisions relating to:
โข trafficking and distribution (Article 22)
โข aggravated and organised drug activity (Articles 22(3A), 22A)
โข along with supporting provisions regulating possession, importation, and conspiracy
๐ This legislative framework, originally enacted in 1939, has been continuously amended, most recently in 2023โ2024, reflecting evolving international and European approaches to organised drug crime.
โ Crucially, Article 22 provides for a maximum punishment of life imprisonment, placing drug trafficking among the most severely punished offences in Maltese law.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐
๐ In contrast, the Shah case was prosecuted entirely under the Criminal Code (Chapter 9), a law dating back to 1854, albeit amended over time, most notably through reforms such as Act XIII of 2018, which modernised aspects of sexual offences.
The att taโ akkuลผa in that case included:
โข sexual acts without consent on a minor (Article 207)
โข corruption of a minor under 12 (Article 203(1)(a))
โข sexual harassment and coercive conduct (Articles 251A, 251H, 251HA)
โข aggravating circumstances (Article 202, Article 208AC)
โ While these provisions undoubtedly address grave wrongdoing, their maximum penalties are generally significantly lower, often ranging around 9 to 12 years imprisonment, depending on classification and aggravation.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ?
When these frameworks are placed side by side, a clear legal reality emerges:
๐Drug trafficking โ maximum: life imprisonment
๐Sexual offences against minors โ generally capped at significantly lower ranges
This is not a judicial choice.
It is a legislative hierarchy of seriousness.
๐ฉ๐ปโโ๏ธ In other words, the law, as it currently stands, treats organised drug trafficking as one of the highest threats to society, warranting the harshest penalties available.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ?
๐ The answer lies in history and policy.
Over the past decades, drug trafficking has been treated as:
โข a transnational, organised crime issue
โข a driver of violence, exploitation, and systemic harm
โข a matter of international and EU obligation
๐จ As a result, laws such as the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance have been repeatedly strengthened and modernised, with clear sentencing structures and severe penalties.
By contrast, sexual offences law, though amended, remains rooted in a much older legislative framework, where reforms have often been incremental rather than structural.
๐๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐, ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐
โ๏ธ It is tempting to look at these outcomes and conclude that something has gone wrong in court. However, judges do not sentence in a vacuum.
They are bound by:
โข maximum and minimum penalties set by law
โข the specific articles under which an accused is charged
โข principles of proportionality and consistency
๐ In Ohaegbu, the Court was dealing with offences that legally allowed for life imprisonment, yet still reduced the sentence, partly due to the extraordinary 19-year delay not attributable to the accused.
โIn Shah, the Court applied the relevant provisions of the Criminal Code and confirmed a sentence within the legal limits available to it.
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ?
๐If the outcome feels uncomfortable, it is not because the courts have misplaced their priorities. It is because the law reflects priorities shaped over time, and those priorities may no longer fully align with societal expectations.
๐For years, sustained attention, policy pressure, and international cooperation have driven continuous reform in drug laws.
๐The same level of sustained pressure has not always been present in the context of sexual offences, particularly in ensuring that sentencing structures reflect their full gravity.
๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ก ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ?
The comparison between these two cases is not meaningless, but it must be directed correctly.
โThe question is not: โ๐๐ฉ๐บ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ซ๐ถ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ 12 ๐บ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ง 8?
โThe question is: โ๐๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ข๐ธ๐ด ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ง๐ญ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ฆ, ๐ข๐ด ๐ข ๐ด๐ฐ๐ค๐ช๐ฆ๐ต๐บ ๐ช๐ฏ 2026, ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ด๐ต ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ?โ
Because if we believe that offences against children should attract consistently harsher penalties, then the solution is not to criticise judicial discretion, but to recognise that: judges apply the law, they do not create it.
๐
๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ
Public reaction, in this case, is not entirely misplaced.
It reveals a growing expectation that the law should evolve, not only in recognising harm, but in ranking it appropriately. And if that expectation is to be met, then the path forward is clear:
๐ขโ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.๐ขโ๐จ
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โ๏ธ Author: Dr Catriona Cuschieri