Construction of five Justice of the Peace Courts advances in Guatemala with CABEI support

Guatemala City, June 15th, 2022.- The inhabitants of the departments of Chiquimula, Santa Rosa, Quiché and San Marcos in Guatemala will have new Justice of the Peace Courts that will enable the provision of judicial services in a prompt and effective manner thanks to the financial and technical support provided by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) to the Judicial Branch, which has already begun the construction process.

These works are part of the Justice Sector Investment and Modernization Program with CABEI's total financing of US$300 million, which is expected to benefit more than 16 million people. Of these resources, US$85 million have been allocated to the Judicial Branch to implement key infrastructure such as courthouses, court complexes and judicial warehouses, as well as the necessary technological equipment to increase service coverage in the country.

"We are pleased to learn of the level of progress in the execution of these highly relevant projects to meet the increased demand for judicial services by Guatemalans. It is worth noting that 93% of the resources provided by the Judicial Branch are earmarked for infrastructure, technology and furniture, which are important investments for the proper functioning of the judicial system," said CABEI Executive President Dr. Dante Mossi.

The peace courts under construction are located in the municipalities of Ipala, Casillas, San Bartolomé Jocotenango, San Pablo and Concepción Tutuapa; and will expedite and address civil, labor and family matters; and promote the use of alternative mechanisms for conflict resolution.

In addition, the Judicial Branch has prioritized different Information Technology projects that include the equipment of the oral procedure model and institutional infrastructure in communications, the creation of a unit for the digitalization of files at the national level, equipment for the storage and processing of information, improvements in data centers in accordance with international standards, among others.

To date, progress has been made in the hiring of specialist consultants to support the planning of data migration services to the cloud, digitization strategy and strengthening of the telecommunications network. The work is expected to be completed in December of this year.