Judges will no longer be forced to work in “restrictive offices” thanks to a new building behind the law courts, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said yesterday.

Speaking during the inauguration of the €1.9 million project, Dr Bonnici said judges were being made to work in inappropriate conditions in the court house, which was not big enough to accommodate the judiciary.

“This new building is a dream realised, because now we can start thinking of ways to increase the number of personnel in the justice system,” he said.

The new project will house all 23 of the island’s judges as well as their staff, many of whom have already moved in.

The situation was getting too crammed in the courts. There were magistrates whose chambers were former toilets. This isn’t right

The building, St Thomas More Building, will also feature a retractable bridge that will connect judges to the third floor of the court house on the other side of Strait Street.

Dr Bonnici said the project, which was initiated by the previous administration back in 2012, was badly needed: “The situation was getting too crammed in the courts. There were magistrates whose chambers were former toilets. This isn’t right.”

The drive to increase personnel in the justice sector could also go ahead now that the new building was up and running, he added.

Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri also attended the inauguration.

He said the court house was getting smaller and smaller as single offices, used by judicial staff, were being turned into two or more.

Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna, who has been appointed Apostolic Administrator until a new archbishop is chosen, blessed the new building and thanked the judiciary for its hard work, despite working in “difficult conditions”.