Construction of courthouse at Friendship: “I see a bright future, one that is fertile for the growth of our Judiciary” – Magistrate

The construction of a Magistrate’s Court at Friendship, East Bank of Demerara (EBD) has been hailed as a bright future for the Judiciary by Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman.
On August 21, Magistrate Latchman was among several members of the magistracy and Judiciary who attended the sod-turning for the first time Magistrates’ Court at Friendship.
In her opening remark, Magistrate Latchman joyously stated, “As I look around…, I see a bright future, one that is fertile for the growth of our Judiciary.” She also thanked the government for “this groundbreaking initiative that will allow the wheels of Justice to continue to turn efficiently and effectively as well as allow for our Jurisprudence to flourish.”
The contract for the construction of Friendship Magistrate’s Court was awarded to Romano General Builders Inc for the sum of $390,603,985 through a public tendering process by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).

This construction is scheduled for 14 months and will end on October 8, 2024. The construction will be supervised by Precision Consultancy General Supply Engineering Services.
Similarly, on August 18, there was a sod-turning for the construction of a Magistrate’s Court at Timehri, EBD. That contract was awarded by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board to Orion Engineering Inc after a public tendering process for the sum of $299,979,015.
The design of the building and the supervision of the construction were awarded to Innovative Engineering. The construction is scheduled for a duration of 12 months, which will end on August 8, 2024.
Also in attendance at the sod-turning events were Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards; acting Chief Justice Roxane George, SC; Chief Magistrate (ag) Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus; Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall SC; and Joey Monjal, the contractor; and senior officials of the Supreme Court of Judicature.
The new Magistrate’s Courts will house courtrooms, Magistrates’ chambers, living quarters for Magistrates and clerks of court, washroom facilities, parking facilities, and perimeter fences.
Currently, similar courthouses are being constructed at Port Kaituma and Mabaruma in Region One (Barima-Waini), Anna Regina on the Essequibo Coast, Parfaite Harmonie on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD) and Cove and John, East Coast Demerara (ECD). Earlier this month, a new state-of-the-art courthouse was commissioned to the tune of $294.7 million at Vigilance, ECD.
The Judiciary has been taking steps to ensure that justice is delivered on time regardless of where citizens live by constructing new and renovating existing Magistrates’ Courts.
The Judiciary has been praised for decentralising the magistracy given the country’s geographical layout, which makes travelling and communication very challenging at times.
Recognising that the stability and strength of the justice sector are paramount to public trust and investor confidence, $6.2 billion was set aside by the Government in the 2023 National Budget to fund various works for advancing the justice sector. (G1)