Almost six months after the National Commercial Bank (NCB) handed over a new Port Antonio courthouse as a gift to the Ministry of Justice, the building still remains closed and unused.

Court sessions are instead being held in quarters behind the Port Antonio Police Station in the cramped town centre of the Portland parish capital, the Observer has learnt.

The Port Antonio courthouse, completed last year, stands idle outside the town square. (Photo: Lionel Rookwood)

A Government insider told the Observer this week that the new $250-million courthouse, which was completed in August last year, had a number of flaws that the justice ministry said was preventing its use for court proceedings.
According to the source, the building has no bathroom facilities for lawyers, no cells, the holding area for prisoners is inappropriate and there was no access road to the property.

"The minister has requested a meeting with the NCB project manager to discuss remedying the situation," the source said.

An NCB official, however, expressed surprise at the ministry's position, saying that the courthouse layout was approved by ministry representatives from the previous and current administration, including the sitting Justice Minister Dorothy Lightbourne and changes were discussed.
"Up to the point when we handed over the keys, we were liaising with them," said the NCB official who requested anonymity.

Minister Lightbourne was yesterday unavailable for comment.

The new courthouse located at Boundbrook, just outside the town centre, was built by NCB in exchange for the old courthouse in the town square.

Under the agreement, the old courthouse building was restored and preserved as a heritage site while housing a branch of the bank.

The Ministry of Justice, on the other hand, was responsible for providing the interior fixtures and furnishings for the new courthouse after construction work by NCB was complete.
However, since taking ownership of the building there has been no interior improvements by the ministry.

Doubts now surround who will be responsible for the
costs to renovate the new courthouse.

According to the Observer source, while the justice ministry was not pleased with the layout, there is uncertainty whether NCB or the ministry would foot the bill for the renovations.

Construction of the new courthouse started in 2006 under the People's National Party administration when A J Nicholson was minister of justice and attorney-general.

In a meeting of the Senate last Friday, Nicholson accused Justice Minister Lightbourne of dragging her feet on justice reform, citing the delay in opening the Portland courthouse.