Amid relentless criticism from the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) of the Halls of Justice project’s location, cost, safety and security, and other issues, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has defended the initiative.
The UWP has also expressed concern regarding the project agreement terms.
However, an OPM release described the terms of the agreement as ‘highly favourable‘.
The complete release appears below:
The Halls of Justice will be constructed under the Philip J. Pierre-led Administration! The judiciary endured years of dislocation, operating in inadequate and inconvenient spaces throughout the city.
After extensive multi-stakeholder consultation and more than a decade in the making, the Government of Saint Lucia successfully reached a historic agreement with Themis LTD, a subsidiary of NH International, to construct the Halls of Justice.
The Government of Saint Lucia and Themis LTD signed a Build Own Lease Transfer (BOLT) agreement for the Halls of Justice on April 19, 2024. NH International is the contractor under the BOLT agreement.
NH International is an experienced construction firm based in Trinidad & Tobago with a proven track record in Saint Lucia.
Most notably, NH International built the main branch of the Bank of Saint Lucia on Bridge Street, Castries and the Financial Administrative Centre at Pointe Seraphine, Castries.
Here are the facts of the BOLT agreement between the Government of Saint Lucia and Themis LTD:
· The total project cost is set at a fixed price of EC $143 million
· Themis LTD will finance 100% of the project costs
· The project cost includes office furniture, filling systems and ICT systems
· The Government of Saint Lucia is not required to guarantee loan financing for the project
· Upon completion of the structures, the Government of Saint Lucia will enter a lease for the facilities for a period not exceeding 12 years
· At the end of the lease period, ownership of the Halls of Justice will be transferred to the Government of Saint Lucia at a price of EC $1
· The Government of Saint Lucia will own a new asset and substantially reduce its annual rental payments
The terms of the BOLT agreement with Themis LTD are highly favourable for the government as it will not assume any financial risks and will not incur any new debt related to the project.
The Halls of Justice will accommodate three judicial divisions: The criminal division, the civil division and the family division.
The facility will consist of 14 courtrooms, six Magistrate chambers, nine Judge’s chambers, 11 witness rooms, 10 administrative offices, a law library, one 26-seater conference room, one police post, holding cells and a high-security defendants dock in the criminal court.
The first phase of the construction works will start in earnest. The anticipated completion date of the Halls of Justice project is two years from the start of construction.
The new Halls of Justice will centralize the civil, criminal and family courts in one convenient and secure location in the capital.
SOURCE: Office of the Prime Minister
