Media well served at new CCJ HQ

Addressing the media following a tour of the court’s new home at upper Henry Street, Port-of-Spain yesterday, CCJ President Michael de la Bastide said while the institution respected tradition, it was not necessary for the court to sit in “drab and dreary” surroundings.

The two fully computerised courtrooms are located on the second floor of the building, along with two briefing rooms and a robing room. Courtroom One, sporting freshly painted blue walls and polished wooden floor, is equipped with a sympodium — a multi media device which helps to speed up the litigation process. Judges and attorneys have access to individual monitors.

Provisions have been made for proper accommodations for the media, as well as for the general public.

The media was not allowed access to Courtroom Two because it has not yet been completed.

The IT Unit located on the ground floor, is responsible for all the systems within the building, including the integration of the language interpretation system.

The chambers of the seven judges are housed on the third floor of the building, along with the office of the two judicial research assistants, the judges’ library and conference room. While only three cases have been heard by the CCJ since its became functional, de la Bastide said he and the six other judges have not been sitting idly by playing dominoes. He said there was enormous preparatory work at various levels to ensure that the court got off the ground.

He said since the CCJ’s establishment his time has been fully occupied with the administration of the court

The recruitment of competent staff from across the region, he said, was no easy task. Despite the attractive remuneration packages, it was difficult to get some potential staff members to “pull up stakes” to come to work at the CCJ’s headquarters.

The court will sit on June 20 and 21, when it will hear a murder appeal from Barbados.