Construction to start soon on Magistrate’s Courts at Timehri, Friendship EBD

As part of efforts to enhance the local Judiciary and improve its services, two brand new Magistrate’s Courts will soon be constructed along the East Bank Demerara corridor.
These works, according to Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, are slated to commence soon, following the sod-turning ceremony for both structures.
During his weekly programme – Issues in the News, AG Nandlall revealed that on Friday, the sod will be turned for the construction of the first $303 million Magistrate’s Court in Timehri. Similarly, the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of a new $388 million Magistrate’s Court at Friendship, East Bank Demerara, also a first, will be held next week.
In June, it was reported that the construction of the new courthouse at Friendship was awarded to Romano Builders General Building, who put in a bid of $388,873,985, after the national bidding process for the contract had been completed. The Supreme Court of Judicature, acting as the procuring entity, had estimated that the project to construct the court and the living quarters would have cost $418,259,540.
Meanwhile, a similar courthouse and living quarters at Timehri are being constructed by Orion Engineering Inc to the tune of $303,905,015.
In addition, construction will also commence soon for a new court building to house the Providence Magistrate’s Court on the East Bank of Demerara.
The 2023 national budget saw the Guyana Government allocating a whopping $6.2 billion towards the enhancement of the local justice sector throughout the country including several new court buildings that will expand access to justice nationwide.
Only on Wednesday, a new state-of-the-art courthouse was commissioned to the tune of $294.7 million at Vigilance on the East Coast Demerara. This facility features accommodation for two Magistrate’s Courts, living quarters for two Magistrates, an office for the East Demerara Magisterial District, a prisoners’ holding cell, a domestic violence room and a conference room for lawyers, among other facilities
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 and Cove and John, ECD.
Since August 2020 when the current PPP Administration assumed office, several new court facilities have already been commissioned at Bartica, Kwakwani and Mibicuri.
The Judiciary has been taking steps to ensure that justice is delivered on time regardless of where citizens live by constructing new Magistrates’ Courts, expanding several courthouses, and opening new Magisterial Districts.
Following last month’s swearing-in of the new Judicial Service Commission (JSC), it is expected that more Judges and Magistrates will be appointed soon to complement the massive upgrades to the Judiciary’s physical infrastructure.
The Judiciary has also commissioned Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Courts and Children’s Courts as well as specialised courts for hearing sexual offences such as rape.
Additionally, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is being deployed to improve the efficiency of the court system. In this regard, SMART courts are among the new projects intended in 2023 to accelerate the provision of justice.
An e-Litigation Programme for the Court of Appeal and the Georgetown High Court, as well as a Case Management System for the Magistrates’ Courts are intended to go live in 2023.