Justice Minister says there’s urgent need to build new courthouses as rehabilitating them is wasting money

Justice Minister, Delroy Chuck, says there is an urgent need to build new courthouses as rehabilitating them is wasting money.

He was reacting to a remark by Chief Justice Bryan Sykes that the inactivity of the Ministry is the greatest risk to Jamaica’s judiciary.

Mr. Sykes was lamenting the conditions of courts, especially in western parishes, which suffered major damage due to Hurricane Melissa in October last year.

When asked for a reaction yesterday, Minister Chuck told IRIE FM News that over the past decade, more money has been spent annually on repairing courthouses.

He pointed to the courthouse in Savanna-La-Mar, Westmoreland, noting that there are plans for a new one to be built.

Mr. Chuck added that his Ministry is hoping to build at least eight new courthouses over about four years under the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA).

NaRRA is a statutory body established by the Government late last year to lead, coordinate and fast-track recovery efforts after Hurricane Melissa.

It focuses on building climate-resilient infrastructure.

Mr. Chuck said the plan is to build new parish courts for Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, Trelawny and St. Ann.