Construction began in September 2022; the building spans three floors “designed to meet the needs of justice professionals and citizens,” with seven hearing rooms, two videoconferencing rooms, six witness rooms, two rooms for legal counsel, 27 offices, an archive, and various spaces for training and childcare.

The new courthouse, built with an investment exceeding €5.6 million, also includes upgraded IT systems, audio and video recording capabilities, a new Wi-Fi network and internet access, and modernised communications infrastructure.

At the inauguration ceremony held in the new building, Justice Minister Rita Alarcão Júdice noted that this is “an important project” for “improving the justice system” in the region and a model that can be “replicated elsewhere,” given that it is “very well-executed and highly functional.”

“We have rooms set up for hearing children, for simultaneous interpretation, for hearing witnesses with greater privacy, and for lawyers. Indeed, this courthouse presents a great image,” she stated.

According to the Minister, the new courthouse facilities will allow the old premises to house the Administrative and Tax Court starting “early next year.”

“What we want now is to make minor touch-ups and small-scale renovations, taking advantage of the fact that the building is currently empty, to provide the best possible conditions and house the Administrative and Tax Court there as soon as possible,” he stated.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro acknowledged the building’s importance to the quality of judicial services, noting that investing in “infrastructure and equipment” effectively values ​​the existing workforce.

According to the head of government, achieving “more diligent, swift, and fair” services requires “professionals, and that presupposes having the conditions to attract them.”

“We must have the courage to say that the vast majority of citizens [using Portuguese courts] leave satisfied with the justice system, and this is a testament to the system’s capabilities,” he said.

The Mayor of Beja highlighted the consolidation of “facilities that were previously scattered” across the city into a single location, emphasising that this investment would ensure “more responsive and efficient service for those using the courts.”

“It is an investment in efficiency and, above all, in trust,” he affirmed.

Consolidating these services will allow for the decommissioning of the temporary units currently used by the Family and Juvenile Courts and the Labour Courts.

According to Nuno Palma Ferro, the new Beja Courthouse, with these facilities, will help “consolidate judicial functions,” “enhance the value of the district as a whole,” and address “territorial inequality” in the interior regions.

At the end of the ceremony, when journalists asked, the Minister of Justice declined to comment on the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s decision to open an inquiry into the National Director and other senior judiciary officials over alleged false statements and abuse of power.