The construction of the courthouse in Pardubice is postponed indefinitely

Pardubice - The construction of the judicial palace in Pardubice has been postponed indefinitely due to a lack of funds from the Ministry of Justice. The acquisition of the necessary land on which the building is to stand is also uncertain, as it was supposed to be jointly purchased by the Pardubice Region and the city council. The involvement of a private investor could help, said Michal Strnad, spokesman for the Regional Court in Hradec Králové.
    Justice Minister Jiří Pospíšil previously stated that due to the costly construction of the judicial complex in Brno, it will not be possible to secure funds for six new regional courts during this electoral period, including in Pardubice or Karlovy Vary. "Let's consider that there is currently no money in the budget, so the construction is basically not in sight," stated Strnad.
    According to him, a private investor could theoretically build the judicial palace in Pardubice through a so-called PPP project, in which the private and public sectors join as partners. "It was considered. A private company would build the complex, and the state would lease it for a certain period and pay for it in the form of rent," said Strnad.
    The Pardubice Region and the city council have committed to purchasing land on Na Spravedlnosti Street for the construction of the judicial palace. In return, they would receive land on U Stadionu Street from the state through an exchange, where a dilapidated remains of a sports hall stands, which the Czech Union of Physical Education is contesting in court. According to Strnad, the owner of the land on Na Spravedlnosti also does not want to sell his property and may want to participate in the PPP project.
    The leadership of the Pardubice Region believed in August that the Ministry of Justice could start preparing project documentation in September and that construction could be completed by 2012. "The state could commission the project now; it is not that financially demanding," said Roman Línek, the first deputy governor. However, Strnad considers this impossible, as the ownership of the necessary land has not been resolved.
    The planned judicial palace costing 600 million crowns should house four institutions - the district court and the regional court, along with the regional and district public prosecutor's offices. The branch of the regional court, which has been in Pardubice since 2003, is still located in a rented building.