Chinese Government provides $6 million grant for Judicial Building Construction Project

In 2009, the China’s Ministry of Commerce provided a $6 million grant to the Government of Seychelles for the Judicial Building Construction Project. This project involved the construction of a new federal judiciary building (that houses the Seychellois Supreme Court and Court of Appeals) — called the Palais de Justice — at Ile du Port in the capital city of Victoria. The building occupies a 5,000 square meter area and it is 19.893 meters in height. It has 10 courtrooms, offices for judicial officials, a guard room, a conference room able to hold at least 150 people, a cafeteria, separate entry points for the judges and magistrates, a holding cell, a reception area, and special lifts and toilets with ramps for wheelchair users. The courtrooms are equipped with security surveillance cameras, internal PA systems, video panels for visitors and staff, video audio systems for court proceedings, and computers connected to outside servers. The building was also designed with a modern electronic system for case management, including video link systems – so witnesses will not have to appear in court to give evidence – and a digital database that holds complete and up-to-date records and allows for quick retrieval of information. On July 10, 2009, the Architecture Design & Research Institute from Qingdao Technological University signed a project design contract for the project. Qingjian Group Company Ltd. (aka Qingdao Construction Group), which was a state-owned enterprise until 2015, was the contractor responsible for project implementation. Construction began on March 17, 2011 and ended in May 15, 2013, but the official completion ceremony did not take place until the eve of Seychelles' National Day, June 17, 2013.

Additional details

The Chinese project title is 援塞舌尔司法大楼 or 援塞舌尔司法大楼项目 or 司法大楼项目.

Number of official sources

12

Number of total sources

17