President James Michel attended the official opening ceremony of the Palais de Justice at Ile du Port yesterday evening. The new judiciary building houses the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal of the Seychelles. The 6 million US dollar project was funded by the People's Republic of China and built in partnership with the Government of Seychelles. It was opened by the President of Court of Appeal, Mr. Francis MacGregor and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Mr. Frederick Egonda-Ntende, in the presence of the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Seychelles, Mr. Shi Zhonjun, and a large number of dignitaries from the Executive, Legislative and Judicial arms of the State as well as members of the legal profession.

Following the ceremony, President Michel toured the state-of-the-art facilities, and was briefed on the way the new systems would impact the courts' proceedings.

" On this historic day, we are deeply grateful to the People's Republic of China for the construction of an emblematic building for our justice system, which together with the National Assembly building, the Anse Royale Hospital and the Au Cap school , are concrete examples of the fruits of the special relations between Seychelles and China. This Palais de Justice was part of our strategic plan for the modernisation of the judiciary and it gives me great pleasure to see this vision become a reality. It has the potential to become a centre of excellence, and if used well, will help to speed up court proceedings," said President Michel following his tour.

The Palais de Justice, with more than 5,000 square metres, has 10 court rooms that host a range of advanced technology including security video surveillance, internal broadcast and PA systems, electronic information and video panels for visitors and staff,  video and audio recording and playing systems for court proceedings, computers systems connected to outside servers, and ability to connect to video-links from international locations.