Court hearings at Multi-Purpose, DPS offices

A display room at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center in Susupe has been temporarily used as a courtroom for Superior Court hearings while the air-conditioning system is being repaired at the Guma Hustisia building. (Ferdie De La Torre)

The Guma Hustisia or House of Justice building in Susupe has been closed to the public since Friday before noon. In the meantime, the Superior Court is holding hearings in a small room at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center and at the Department of Public Safety’s training offices.

The U.S. District Court for the NMI in Garapan and the Department of Public Safety’s training offices in Susupe were designated yesterday as temporary court locations.

Chief Justice Alexandro C. Castro and Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja said in a public notice yesterday that the Guma Hustisia will be closed until today, Friday.

Castro and Naraja said the air-conditioning system at the Guma Hustisia is temporarily online, but repair and monitoring efforts continue, along with testing and manual assessments for the system’s temperature controls and its impact on office readiness.

Castro and Naraja said the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.’s Bureau of Environmental Health will be inspecting the offices and courtrooms for health and safety standards.

In a statement Wednesday night, Castro and Naraja disclosed that a mold remediation assessment was recently started at the building to assist in long-term planning.

“The potential impact from the rise in temperature and lack of air circulation, caused by the recent air-conditioning system malfunction, is being closely observed and monitored,” they said.

A source earlier raised the possibility that a mold problem is causing the air-conditioning system problem.

Meanwhile, the Office of Adult Probation’s satellite office behind the Guma Hustisia will maintain regular business hours.

Tinian and Rota courts will maintain regular business hours.

While the Guma Hustisia building remains closed, some court staff were seen working inside the building last Wednesday.

Yesterday, only the court marshals were allowed to work inside the building, Saipan Tribune learned.

A concerned court employee said he/she is hoping that Castro and Naraja would share the mold test results that were allegedly issued a couple of months ago. The staff said that if the mold issue is not dangerous, then the report should be shared.

“But if it’s dangerous, the employees and the public need to know,” the employee said.

Associate Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio held family court hearings on Wednesday inside the small display room at the Multi-Purpose Center. Yesterday, Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho held numerous traffic cases hearing in the same display room.

Inside the display room, there is one long plastic table for the judge and another for the court staff. The prosecution and defense share the third table. Three chairs are reserved for the public.

The other small room next to the display room has been converted into a holding area for defendants.

Joaquin Torres, who appeared with his client, told the court at Wednesday’s hearing that he had on a necktie but chose not to wear it because he had no idea about the court’s setup at the Multi-Purpose Center.

Torres also asked if hearings will be done at the Multi-Purpose for a long time. Kim-Tenorio replied that she’s hoping it’s not.