Last Updated on August 22, 2022, 8:20 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Two District, ‘A’ Magistrates’ Courts out of three, have a new home in the former “Glencove” building at Fortlands, Basseterre, near the War Memorial and Fisherman’s Wharf.
Attorney-General and Minister of Justice & Legal Affairs Garth Wilkin stated that he “is pleased that the new District’ A’ Magistrates’ Court complex will become fully operational on Monday, August 22, 2022.
This would allow the backlog of cases piled up since the closure of the Sir Lee L. Moore Judicial & Legal Services Complex in early June 2022 due to a mould infestation there to be resolved.
He added that he had toured the complex with the Senior Magistrate on Wednesday, August 17, and was pleased with the setup. Especially the provisions made for parties to check in and wait in a covered, cool seating area with bathroom facilities until the telecom system calls their matters.
Senior Magistrate, Renold Benjamin, said the new home was well needed and would speedily assist the courts with administering justice.
“The staff will feel comfortable here, and I see them working at optimal levels in this new location. The location will greatly assist with our current backlobg of cases. Since the mould was discovered at our previous location, we had to abandon the court, so no cases have been tried for the past two months. So, we have a backlog, but I am confident that now we will be able to handle all of those matters. I want to thank the Government for getting a building. Getting an ideal building was very difficult; we tried several locations, and we could not have found a location better than this one,” said Senior Magistrate Benjamin.
He said that the responsible authorities did significant work to renovate the “Glencove” building in the soonest possible time to allow the two Magistrates’ Courts to resume functioning. The new complex is outfitted with all the necessary amenities and spaces for the courts to function.
“We have the facilities. We have the infrastructure needed to deal with any case that may arise. The location is tranquil, much quieter than downtown. We do not have many vehicles passing up and down, not much noise from the public or loud music from events in the Square. We have little to no disturbance here; it is tranquil and conducive to courts’ operation. You almost do not feel like you are in a court because the environment feels so friendly,” he said.
The two District “A” Magistrates’ Courts administered by Renold Benjamin (Court Room #1) and Fitzroy Eddy (Court Room #2) will be open from 9 am to 4:30 PM.
All other Magistrates’ Court administrative matters will be dealt with at the new complex. Benjamin revealed that cash would be collected at the building in the next two weeks, including paying traffic tickets.
The new building has a covered external waiting area, external bathrooms, court cashier room, exhibit room, storeroom, kitchenette, internal bathrooms, holding bay, administrative office, Magistrates’ offices and court offices.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
