Malta: Criminal Law

On 16 September 2026 Malta’s Civil Court (Asset Recovery Section) threw out, in its entirety, a claim by the Asset Recovery Bureau and the Commissioner of Police to confiscate more than half a million euro held on trust. It is understood to be the first time a Maltese court has rejected a non-conviction based confiscation claim after an interested third party stepped in to defend the property.

The Central Bank of Malta has issued new supervisory expectations for payment service providers offering instant payment services, establishing eleven key requirements to combat fraud in the instant payments environment. These expectations address critical areas including transaction monitoring, customer awareness, device registration protocols, and the implementation of automated fraud detection controls.

The Payment Services Directive 3 (PSD3) and Payment Services Regulation (PSR) introduce fundamental changes to the EU payments landscape, including the elimination of the standalone EMI licence, mandatory Verification of Payee requirements, and a significant shift in fraud liability. With a 27-month transitional window, payment institutions and electronic money institutions must begin preparing now to meet the new unified framework's stringent requirements.

Just in time for the 2026 exams season, Ganado In Session is back with its revision podcast – tailored specifically for first-year law students tackling CRL 1010 – Principles of Criminal Law.

Malta has formally enacted the revised National Interest (Enabling Powers) Act on 14 November 2025, marking a major update to the country's sanctions framework and introducing a suite...

In Run Logistics Limited v Il-Kummissarju tal-Pulizija u l-Uffiċju għall-Irkupru tal-Assi, decided by Mr Justice Henri Mizzi in the Civil Court (Asset Recovery Section) (the "Court") on 3rd June 2025