Govt allocates $25M for night court arrangements

Government has allocated approximately $25 million to facilitate night court sessions, which are expected to commence in a matter of weeks.

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan told media operatives on Monday that while certain terms were yet to be determined, Government has set aside a huge sum of money to cover the expenses of this undertaking.

“The Minister of Finance (Winston Jordan) has allocated a sum in the vicinity of $25 million for this kind of arrangement…I don’t know if that will be sufficient, depending on how many Magistrates we appoint,” he explained.

Initial reports had suggested that there would be five temporary Magistrates appointed to man the night court.

Ramjattan noted that the Judicial Services Commission would have to convene a meeting to appoint the Magistrates.

Government took a decision to introduce the night court system in an effort to dispose of the huge back-log of cases that have kept inmates on remand for years. This initiative is part of a package of prison reforms taken by the Administration following the deadly prison riot at the Camp Street penitentiary which claimed the lives of 17 inmates.