No smooth move for AG's office

Thu, Dec 19th 2013, 11:05 AM

Staff at the Office of the Attorney General experienced plumbing issues and electrical problems on their first day in new premises, The Nassau Guardian understands.

The attorney general's office is now housed in a multimillion-dollar building on John F. Kennedy Drive that was originally earmarked for the Ministry of Tourism. The new building remained unoccupied for many years due to structural issues.

The increased distance from the attorney general's office to the Supreme Court also resulted in lawyers arriving 30 minutes late for a constitutional motion on Monday, causing them to be chastised by the judge.

At its old location on East Hill Street, the lawyers were within walking distance to the courts and registries that are downtown.

It took The Guardian 15 minutes to drive from the new location on a Sunday afternoon with minimal traffic.

On Sunday, Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson said that the increased distance would not affect the productivity of the courts, although lawyers who file their own documents can no longer walk to the registry.

She said, "Everything is in place to ensure that there will be no problems with transportation."

Citing security reasons, she declined to outline those measures.

In an earlier interview, Bar Association President Elsworth Johnson suggested that a messenger or courier service be put in place "so that attorneys don't have to jump in their cars to get things done".

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