Tuesday, August 14, 2012

The Maltese Justice Ministry on Nudism in Malta

According to an article by Patrick Cooke entitled 'View from the beach…' and appearing in the Times of Malta of Wednesday, August 1, 2012,the Maltese Justice Ministry had the following to say on nudism in Malta: The Justice Ministry supported taking skinny dippers to court because: “Maltese law does not allow nudism in public places and beaches are considered public places.” The arraignments of tourists in Malta were normally treated quickly. This was to ensure that they could return home on their pre-booked flights, with no extra costs incurred, a ministry spokesman said. When asked if there are any plans to introduce spot fines to replace court cases for such incidents, the spokesman said the government was in the process of reviewing all possible offences and some might eventually be “decriminalised”. “Once this happens, these offences will no longer be dealt with by the criminal courts but by regional tribunals, as is already the case for traffic and certain environmental offences. “Individuals accused of such offences will also be able to settle fines electronically, by post or at one of the local councils’ offices.”