(Opinion (José Lúcio / Judge): New court in Beja - promise and reality.
The hope of building new judicial facilities in Beja, renewed by the repeated promises of responsible entities, It makes it timely to share some brief notes on the subject.
José Lúcio
Judge
In 2014, when I took possession of the President Judge of the new District, the need for new judicial facilities in the district capital was long diagnosed. It noted that the development of judicial organic and staffing in the sixty years earlier had exhausted the building responsiveness of Largo Duarte Pacheco, the Labor Court since its creation still precariously housed (past decades) an unhealthy corner of the old Civil Government, and that even the Administrative and Fiscal Court had been provisionally installed in inadequate housing, since its inception.
With judicial reform entered into force in September 2014 more to accentuate the known needs, under the centralization of powers in the new Courts of Central Beja, involving the transfer of significant procedural mass of old outlying districts to the headquarters.
That way, the old courthouse was crowded processes and no place where employees worked with dignity and magistrates, or where users were met and served properly (there is space for the public, lack waiting rooms or witnesses, lack bathrooms, fail accessibility for disabled, do not reach the courtrooms, missing work offices, there is no place for files or garage).
The failure of the judicial premises in Beja was further enhanced by the entry into operation of a new valence, Judgment of Family and Children, who by force of circumstances we had this summer 2014 to stay temporarily installed in Ferreira do Alentejo.
In short, the outlook required that all public authorities should be recognized the practical requirement that was to move to new premises in the city of Beja aimed specifically at the administration of justice. There was no room for any doubt.
also made efforts to locate any available alternatives, easily come to the conclusion of the impossibility to use the adaptation of existing buildings. Consensualizou up and it was agreed that it would have to face up the problem by root construction of new judicial facilities.
Obviously it was not easy to put into practice this intention. Let us not forget that they were times of severe financial restraint, and the associated costs are not negligible. And there was previously solve localization issues, project, policy decision. There was agreement on what needed, became complicated do it.
The path would be found began to take shape in 16 June 2014, a conversation on the sidelines of the ceremony of my inauguration as presiding judge of the District. Then got verbal commitment to develop contacts between the municipality and the IGFEJ so that closely obstacles were overcome that perfilavam.
It is fair to say that this commitment has been fulfilled and that the objective was taken and pursued by all stakeholders. If even now, after almost five years, it is not clear in the realities of the desired new building plan, It was not for lack of commitment of so involved. Everything should, It should be recognized, the slowness of movement that characterizes our public administration - and it goes without saying.
For the part of local government, the City Council tried to ensure the resolution of issues relevant to the location and the desired building project. all-in, we have to thank a very high costs of contribution to the Municipality, this remained without prevarication despite the power changes that have taken place.
Also the central government level was not questioned the idea, despite the succession of ministers and other senior positions. The draft of the new Court of Beja proved to be peaceful and to cross multiple decision makers and technical management.
This sequence would be celebrated naturally the well known protocol between the City of Beja and the Ministry of Justice, being already holding the current Minister. It was under this agreement that the projects were drawn up for the facilities and formalized the allocation of land for this purpose. And launched the public tender for the award of the work, that came to be deserted in December 2018.
Now, left relaunch the competition in ways that can raise the interest of potential contractors. It is up to the central power this task, and all assure me that the commitment remains. We must wait, with hope and serenity, and at the same time do everything to that hope becomes a reality.
However, and under the same protocol that established cooperation between Municipality and Central Power, were put into operation at the end of last August the temporary buildings it allowed to transfer the Labor Court and the Family Court and Juvenile of the sites where they were. It is temporary and interim solution, no doubt, but it is fair to say that this was a major step - just think of how many years the Labor Court had worked in the old hovel degraded, or the four full years that the Family and Juvenile Court took relocated in Ferreira do Alentejo.
In this way two of the most relevant valences of the District Court briefly found answer to their most pressing problems, which is no small. The user audience also was evidently benefited from the change (everybody, and not only those who need to do a medical examination in case of accidents at work or those who previously had to travel to Ferreira to regulate parental responsibilities).
Só pela parte do caminho já percorrida cremos poder dizer que o balanço é positivo. Fault remaining part, which is not little. But we believe that hope is justified, and that one day will become reality.
(Text written under the previous rule to spell AO1990, by the author's option)
