The refurbishment of an additional five supreme courts will be completed before the end of next month, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works Colin Higgs said yesterday.
Three of the courts will be specifically for criminal matters and two will hear both criminal and civil matters, Higgs said.
The courts are in the building that previously housed a magistrate's court and the police prosecutions office on Bank Lane.
The courts will add to the six criminal courts that are currently in use.
Prime Minister Perry Christie said last month the Ministry of Works has been instructed to "work around the clock" to complete the refurbishment of additional criminal courts so that 10 facilities will be able to operate simultaneously.
Higgs said since then work has picked up and is nearing completion.
Top Builders International was awarded the contract to renovate the building.
Higgs said the contractor is now working on the layout of the courtrooms.
With additional courts operating, Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson has said judges could try as many as 400 criminal matters in a year.
Last year, Minister of Legal Affairs Damian Gomez told the House of Assembly that only 89 criminal cases were tried within a 12-month period.
He said that figure was "simply unacceptable". When he made that statement last June there were five criminal courts.
Legal observers have said that unless efforts are made to increase the number of trials that are completed, the backlog would continue to increase.
Many people have also opined that the inefficient judicial system is tied to crime.
Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade has bemoaned the fact that many people charged with serious crimes are often given bail because they are not tried within a reasonable period of time.

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