Iconic RM177 mln new Kota Kinabalu Court Complex handed over

KOTA KINABALU: The new Kota Kinabalu Court Complex built on a 6.25-acre site atop Bukit Punai here was handed over to the Sabah judiciary management yesterday.

The RM177 million iconic sixstorey building that was completed in April will be fully operational in Sept next year.

It is equipped with 16 court rooms catering for one Federal Court, three High Courts, six Sessions Courts, including a Court on Sexual Crimes Against Children, and six Magistrate's Courts.

The complex is also equipped with various other facilities such as office space containing judges' chambers, conference room, meeting room, library, apart from information technology system facilities including court recording transcription system and high speed broadband Internet.

“This court complex is one of the federal development projects and today, we will be handing it over to the court's management as a sign of Government's effort to equip the judiciary body with the best facilities,” said Director General of Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Jalil Marzuki.

He said a RM634.9 million allocation had been provided and approved under the 11th Malaysia Plan or Rancangan Malaysia ke-11 (RMK-11) from 2016 until 2020 to proceed with physical development projects for all courts in Malaysia.

“This complex is one of the six court complex projects which was scheduled to be completed within the period under RMK-11,” explained Marzuki in his speech at the handing over ceremony at the new court complex yesterday.

Meanwhile, Public Works Department director Dato' Sri Dr. Roslan Md Taha, said that the department had created history with the establishment of the new court complex which will be a new landmark in Sabah.

He said, the project had started after the department was entrusted to implement it back in 2012 with a RM177 million allocation and with a conventional consultant and senior director of general building works 1 branch of the department headquarters as its program manager and project enforcement officer, while Kibaran Pelangi Sdn Bhd was the contractor.

“The architecture of the building emphasizes elements from Sabah's ethnic groups, namely Kadazandusun, Bajau Laut and Murut, while its interior designs at the lobby comprise of Malaysia's national flower and Sabah's official flower, which is the Hibiscus and the Rafflesia,” said Roslan, adding that, the building took 45 months to complete.

Present at the ceremony were Chief Justice of Malaysia, Tan Sri Richard Malanjum, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law), Datuk Liew Vui Keong, President of Court of Appeal Malaysia, Tan Sri Ahmad Haji Maarop, Chief Judge of Malaya, Tan Sri Zaharah Ibrahim, Chief Justice of Sabah and Sarawak, Datuk David Wong Dak Wah, Assistant Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Mohamed Hanipa Maidin, Federal Chief Court Registrar, Dato' Seri Latifah Haji Mohd Tahar, Sabah Police Commissioner, Dato' Ramli Haji Din, President of Sabah Law Society, Brenndon Keith Soh, senior director of general building works 1 branch of the department headquarters cum program manager and project enforcement officer, Ir. Muhammad Azman Jamrus, managing director of Kibaran Pelangi Sdn Bhd, Rushamizan Rustam, judges and officers.