Court Proceedings To Resume In Black River And Savanna-la-mar

Court proceedings are expected to resume in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland and Black River, St. Elizabeth, before the end of the year, following the securing of new locations to replace facilities destroyed by Hurricane Melissa.

The disclosure was made by Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Delroy Chuck, during a press briefing on key justice matters at the Ministry’s office in St. Andrew on Friday (October 2).

“A lease has already been signed for the Savanna-la-Mar Court, and it’s now being fitted out so that the staff from Westmoreland can move there and then courts hopefully will start in that particular location, which was meant to be a shopping centre, but we have taken it over,” the Minister informed.

He noted a lease is also being negotiated for a complex in Black River, which was initially meant to a business process outsourcing (BPO) centre.

“We hope it will be passed on to the court administration division in short order, and that it can start operating hopefully before the end of the year,” Mr. Chuck stated.

Mr. Chuck emphasised that the Ministry is doing its part to ensure that the facilities of the island’s courts are kept in first-class order.

He highlighted the Court of Appeal in Kingston which was recently renovated at a cost of approximately $2 billion; the courthouse in Linstead, St. Catherine; and the Family Court in St. Ann as examples of recent investments made in the judiciary.

The Minister however acknowledged that that there are many other courts, largely due to their age, that need to be addressed.

“The family court in Kingston, the family court in St. James, and a number of other courts. We will be working on them,” Mr. Chuck said.

He pointed out that there have been challenges in the procurement process that have caused some renovation projects to be delayed.

“We have been trying to spend over $200 million to fix the Lucea Parish Court, and I am really hoping it can be done in short order,” the Minister stated.

Mr. Chuck maintained that despite the challenges, the Government has spent in excess of $5 billion, over the last eight to ten years, improving the facilities of the courts.

He said on average, approximately $600 million is spent annually to ensure that the courts are kept in good condition.

“I am proud to say you rarely hear of courts breaking down, and most of the courts we have actually put in air conditions…and I can assure you that we are still working to make sure that the courts work without any one of them breaking down,” Mr. Chuck affirmed.

He further urged anyone visiting the courts who sees issues such as minor repairs or lack of maintenance, to bring them to the attention of the court or to the Court Administration Division.

“I am aware that maintenance has been a challenge over the years, but up to last year, the Court Administration Division got $300 million for maintenance, and this year… they have been allocated $500 million,” the Minister outlined.

He stated that repairs must be consistent, while noting that over the last three months, the Ministry and the CAD have been meeting regularly to ensure that the courts are properly maintained and improved where necessary.