The recently opened Waigani National Court Complex stands as a landmark achievement for Papua New Guinea’s judiciary — a vision first conceived by former Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia and made possible through the early support and funding of the former Peter O’Neill government.
Current Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika acknowledged Sir Salamo and Mr O’Neill during the official opening of the state-of-the-art court facility on September 10.
Sir Salamo, who served as Chief Justice from 2011 to 2018, had long championed reforms to strengthen the independence and efficiency of the courts.
Central to his vision was the creation of a three-tier judicial system, with a modern purpose-built complex in Waigani to house the National, Supreme and Appeals Courts.
He had said that a facility of such scale would not only provide functional space for judges, registries and court staff but also anchor judicial autonomy by giving the courts control over their own infrastructure planning and execution.
That dream took shape in 2016 when then Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s government formally approved the project and provided its initial funding. The ambitious undertaking was budgeted at K450 million at the time, though costs later rose to nearly K700 million.
Despite delays and shifting timelines, successive government under Prime Minister James Marape, continued to prioritise the project, recognising its importance to law, order and governance.
The complex boasts 15 courtrooms including a state-of-the-art Banco Court, 31 judges’ chambers, a modern registry, research and reporting facilities, and an ICT data centre designed to bring the judiciary into the digital age.
From Injia’s bold idea to O’Neill’s funding approval and the final completion under Prime Minister James Marape ‘s government and Sir Gibbs Salika’s administration, the Waigani Court Complex stands as a symbol of continuity in nation-building and the enduring value of investing in justice.
Leave a Reply