Chinese Government provides $10 million grant for Forensic Science Center Construction Project (Linked to Project ID#69175)

In October 2018, the Chinese Government provided a US$10 million grant to Trinidad and Tobago for the construction of a new forensic sciences building in Mt. Hope to replace the current smaller building in St. James. The building is set to go up in two stages: first a new main forensic sciences building, and then an "L-shaped" DNA storage building. The grant was followed by two Memorandums of Understanding that were signed with both the Chinese Government and the Indian Government in November 2019 concerning forensics. The new center is being constructed with the goal of alleviating personnel and infrastructure issues that have been plaguing the forensic department for some time. The project was inspired and funding requested from China by the Trinidadians after the Prime Minister visited a similarly Chinese-funded forensics center in Jamaica. As of January 2020, the project had not yet broken ground despite its proposed completion date by the beginning of 2020. However, the Trinidadian government reportedly received an additional $100 million grant from the Chinese Government in early 2020 for construction of the site.

Additional details

1. More research is needed to corroborate the receipt of a $100 million grant in 2020. 2. source 180460 details a signing ceremony for an exchange of letters with Chinese Ambassador Fang Qiu with regard to the construction of a new Trinidad and Tobago Forensic Science Centre (TTFSC).

Number of official sources

3

Number of total sources

8