| KINGSTON, April 5 (JIS): |
 The
Ministry of Justice has been allocated a sum of $1 billion to rehabilitate
courthouses and judicial residences and for the purchase of equipment
and facilities.The allocation was made in the 2004/05 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. Of this sum, $81.2 million will go towards the construction and renovation of selected courthouses across the island. Among the facilities to be refurbished are the Linstead and Old Harbour courthouses in St. Catherine; Adelphi and Montego Bay courthouses in St. James; Sandy Bay and Chapleton courthouses in Clarendon; Lucea Courthouse in Hanover; the Port Maria Courthouse in St. Mary; the Green Island Courthouse in Westmoreland; the Christiana and Cross Keys courthouses in Mandeville; and the Sutton Street Courthouse and the Family Court in Kingston. Repairs will also be carried out at the Justice Training Institute and on the general upgrading of air condition units throughout the courts. The other $18.8 million will be allotted for the purchasing of motor vehicles for judges. The allocation also provides $16.2 million for the Citizens Security and Justice Project, which the Ministries of Justice and National Security have joint responsibility for. The Government of Jamaica and the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) are funding the project. |
