APIA: 26 Jan 2010: The opening of the new US$15 million Court House yesterday, next to Parliament at Mulinu’u has been hailed as a new milestone in the relations between Samoa and China.
Built by the Peoples Republic of China, the $15 million US dollar court complex comprises two Supreme Courts, two District Courts, the Land and Title courts and administration offices, and brings for the first time the Court administration and Justice Ministry under one roof.
Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said the important objective with this new building is to ensure the efficient processing of cases and the delivery of court decisions.
For over a hundred years, from the time of the German administration, the wooden buildings housing Samoa’s courts, always presented a very high fire risk and there was always the nightmare scenario of irreplaceable records going up in smoke and lost forever.
The Deputy Chairman of the National Peoples Congress, Chen Changzhi led a delegation from Beijing to yesterday’s ceremony. Changzhi said that Samoa is very special to China, and China is ready to assist Samoa in whatever way they can.
"I would ask Mr Chen Changzhi and Ambassador Ma Chongren to please convey to His Excellency President, Hu Jintao and also to His Excellency Premier Wen Jiabao to whom I personally mentioned this project our sincere gratitude for this new milestone in the relations between Samoa and China," said the Prime Minister.
"In seeking the assistance of the Government of China for this project, amongst the important requirements for the new building to provide were: a substantially reduced fire risk, a much safer working environment for the courts officers and, a more secure storage for important court documents.
"This new Court House built with “bricks, mortar and steel” achieves these important requirements in very large measure," Tuilaepa concluded.
The Chief Justice Patu Tiavaasue Falefatu Sapolu, said that the Judiciary can only dream that one day there will be a new court house for them. He also emphasized that this was not a court house for the Judiciary alone, as it is the Court house for every Samoan.