The judiciary yesterday commissioned a new building which houses the Bartica Magistrate’s Court as well as a fully-furnished living quarters—which all together—are pegged at a cost of $177,331,000.
In her remarks, acting Chancellor Yonette Cummings-Edwards expressed the judiciary’s delight at being able to add to the cornucopia of the Township by the commissioning of the new court to serve the people of Bartica and its environs.
The building she said comprises a court office, the chambers of the magistrate, lockups, a domestic violence office, a court room, probation office, a library and a briefing room for attorneys.
Annexed to the courthouse are two living quarters for magistrates, and a living quarter for the Clerk of Court.
The Chancellor said that the living quarters are fully furnished with office equipment and household furnishings such as sofa, bed, dining chairs, refrigerator, stoves, washing machine, and cable-ready television “and the full works.”
All the amenities she said are aimed at making the job of dispensing justice in Bartica, a comfortable one for those residing away from their own homes.
The total cost of the building, furniture and equipment the Chancellor said, amounts to $177,331,000.
Justice Cummings-Edwards said that the building is a beautiful one which adds to the aesthetics of the Town. She fondly referred to it as the “fountain of justice,” considering that it stands erect on top of Mongrippa Hill, overlooking the rest of the community.
Sharing a bit of historical context with the gathering, the Chancellor said that there is need to celebrate the Town finally having its own court building. Against this background she noted that as far back as 1960, the court was first held in the top flat of the Bartica Police Station.
She said that from then to now, it has been the Guyana Police Force which has been accommodating courts in all the districts.
She said that from 1960 to 1976, court was held once monthly—on Wednesdays—and from 1976 to 2009, the days of sitting were increased to two and then three days per month. This, she said, was the system which existed for approximately 33 years.
Realizing that a community deserves more than that, and the need of residents to have their legal rights determined and declared and the rule of law maintained in the community, the Chancellor said that from 2009 up to the point of the commissioning of the new building, court had been held three days per week.
With the presence of the new edifice, however, she said that the court will now sit five days a week—from Monday to Friday; but did note that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual sittings will be accommodated on Mondays and Tuesdays for now until internet facilities are fully stabilized.
The acting Chancellor said that she was happy to announce that in the judiciary’s quest at ensuring access to justice throughout the length and breadth of the country, just this week Attorney General Anil Nandlall SC indicated that lands will be earmarked at Timehri and Friendship on the East Bank of Demerara for the construction of courts there as well.
JURIST
The Chancellor expressed gratitude for the Judicial Reform and Institutional Strengthening (JURIST) project which she said has assisted greatly in making Bartica a modern court—noting that—the building is equipped with recording units, funded by the Government of Canada and implemented by the Caribbean Court of Justice.
Chancellor Cummings-Edwards said that apart from the recording system, the JURIST project is making it possible for the court to also be outfitted with a public address system by which the names of litigants, witnesses and the cases will be announced, so that persons sitting outside the courtroom can hear.
The judge said that construction of the new courthouse—especially given the pandemic—will ease the burden of regular travel to and from the Chief Magistrate in Georgetown for the processing of matters, as well as saving expenses incurred in travel, accommodation and meals; for staff, litigants and the police.
In his address at the commissioning ceremony Attorney General Nandlall hailed the achievement as a tremendous one and described it as “the signification of the transformation taking place in our country.”
The AG said that this newest court will be the standard-bearer of courts going forward, announcing that in addition to the two earmarked for construction on the East Bank of Demerara—one is currently being constructed in Region 1 and another will start at Vigilance on the East Coast of Demerara shortly.
“This is what they (the court buildings) will look like in the future,” Nandlall said, while adding that the amenities which the new court now boasts, would at one point be thought as being inconceivable.
He said that in recognition of the pivotal role and constitutional function of the judiciary in the equation of nation-building, Government is committed to working with the judiciary in ensuring the provision of a quality justice system to which all citizens are entitled.
It is the place to turn for the settlement of disputes he said, for the protection and vindication of rights; while stressing the importance of respect for judicial officers—that their dignity and integrity are not impugned and their independence not attacked.
At the commissioning ceremony which she described as simple but significant, acting Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire SC who chaired the programme said that the opening of the court marked a significant step in the quest by the Supreme Court of Judicature in ensuring access to justice, including in interior and hinterland communities.
Mayor of Bartica, Gifford Marshall in his address said the court will strengthen the democratic pillars as a Town which he say is an awesome way to also celebrate the five years since Bartica was officially declared a Town later this month.
Magistrate Crystal Lambert who is the Township’s first resident magistrate said that she is enthused at the prospect of helping to shape the governance model of the standalone court under the leadership of the Supreme Court.
She said she looks forward to building on the synergies already developed with the police, prison and other stakeholders.
The design and supervision of the project was the responsibility of the E&A Consultants Incorporated; while the construction was completed by M&P Investment Inc.
The Chancellor said that construction commenced in 2018 and should have been delivered in 2020, but saw some setbacks which were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and readjustments to some aspects of the design.
