Today, Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabić and State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice Radomir Ilić visited the construction site of the new Palace of Justice in Kragujevac, accompanied by Mayor of Kragujevac Radomir Nikolić. Once completed, this will not only be the largest infrastructure project initiated by the Ministry of Justice in several decades, but also one that is fully funded from the Budget of the Republic of Serbia. The surface of the future Palace of Justice will be 25,000 square metres, and it will house all eleven judicial organs of the city.
The Prime Minister noted that the Kragujevac Palace of Justice project, together with the recently renovated Palace of Justice in Belgrade, was an indicator of what Serbia was like today, how much it could accomplish and how much focus it placed on building infrastructure in all areas. ‘I am proud that we are funding this project ourselves and entirely from the Budget of the Republic of Serbia. This is an important investment in raising judicial efficiency, including the justice sector employees who are working in inadequate conditions,’ she said.
Mr Ilić added that approximately 12 billion dinars worth of investment in the judicial infrastructure had resulted in over 200,000 square metres of fully renovated, refurbished, adapted, remediated or newly constructed space. The construction of the Palace of Justice in Kragujevac − he explained − would be a vision of a modern Serbia materialised − a vision shared by the Serbian Government and President Aleksandar Vučić.
Mr Ilić added that judicial infrastructure improvement was one of the main priorities of the Ministry of Justice, as part of the higher objective of having a more efficient and effective judiciary. ‘In 21st century, constructing buildings does not suffice. It is also necessary to keep advancing the e-justice system. Since we began using the Judicial Information System and the fast data exchange system within the judiciary, we have saved 1.1 billion dinars – a third of the cost of this building’, he concluded.
Mayor Nikolić stated that the Kragujevac Palace of Justice construction project was a sign that the Government of the Republic of Serbia recognised the City of Kragujevac as the centre of that region of Serbia. ‘The people of Kragujevac cannot recall the last time a republic government made such big investments in projects for this city, and an investment of over 500,000 billion dinars, no less’, he emphasised.
The construction of the Palace of Justice in Kragujevac began at the end of August 2018 when Justice Minister Kuburović laid the foundation stone. The works are to be completed within a four-year deadline.