CJ opens new Arima court

FOR the first time in years, members of the public were allowed to sit in on hearings at the newly opened Arima Magistrates’ Court. Scores of people flocked to the refurbished Prince Street building yesterday, some with pending matters or to lend support to litigants, others simply out of curiosity. One man pleaded with members of the Judiciary’s security to allow him to go into a courtroom just to experience what took place there. In his address to those present at the opening ceremony, Chief Justice Satnarine Sharma expressed his gratitude to the magistrates and other members of staff for “walking the extra mile” by performing their duties under “adverse conditions to ensure the administration of justice was not compromised.” 

The building in which the court was previously housed was described by staff and members of the public as a “dump” and by Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls as a “vibrating court building.” Proper facilities for magistrates, attorneys, police officers, security, administrative staff, prisoners and the public were non-existent. In addition, prisoners were forced to sit in the cramped prison transport vehicles until their cases were called. In order to deal with the “monstrous” state of the courthouses, Sharma said, a Court Buildings Coordinating Committee had been appointed to source temporary accommodations for the courthouses and sites for the construction of permanent courthouses. Although the Prince Street building had been identified since March 2002 he said, the delay in its refurbishment was as a result of the lengthy process of approval for its rental. 

Sharma said although the new courthouse was small and far from an ideal situation, it boasted of, among other things, facilities for the physically disabled, elevators, fire escapes, separate entrances and circulations for magistrates, staff, the public and prisoners. Sharma admitted that the prisoners were considered the lowest of the rank and had been badly treated. In contrition, the Chief Justice said, “We ought to bow our heads and say a prayer that this never happens again.” Judiciary official Wendy Lewis said the next three courthouses to benefit from the efforts of the Committee  were the Chaguanas and Siparia Magistrates’ Courts and the Family Court. The latter is expected to come on stream in March, she said. The brief ceremony culminated with a prayer offering by McNicolls, who implored the Almighty to bestow “the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job” on the magistrates in the execution of their duties. Except for a few minor “teething problems,” everything appeared to be running smoothly.