With the assistance of the Chinese government, the renovation work of the Supreme Court complex is currently underway.

The signing of the total value estimation financial agreement was done in the Ministry of Justice Auditorium today (30) under the chairmanship of the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms, President’s Counsel, Dr. Wijayadasa Rajapaksha and the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong.

Nihal Ranasinghe, Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reform and Tang Yandi, Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, signed the relevant agreement.

Although the contract was signed on April 23, 2023 for the renovation of the Supreme Court complex with the assistance of the Chinese government for an amount of 240 million Yuan, the estimated amount to be spent on the project is 229 million Yuan. Accordingly, the agreement was signed for the amount of 229 million yuan to be spent.

After the signing of the agreement, the Minister of Justice, the Chinese Ambassador and the officials of the Chinese Government and the Ministry of Justice went on an observation tour to investigate the renovation work of the Supreme Court complex.

Speaking at the signing of the agreement, the Minister of Justice also said:
Whenever it faced challenges both nationally and internationally, the Government of China  supported Sri Lanka. The Chinese government should be thanked for that. It must be said that the bilateral relationship between Sri Lanka and China is a very long and successful relationship.

In 1960, during the reign of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, further strengthening the relations between the two countries, the Colombo Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall was given to Sri Lanka by the Chinese government.
Also, the Chinese government arranged to provide a building complex for the Colombo National Hospital. During the official visit of former President Maithripala Sirisena to China in 2016, the Chinese government arranged to provide the Kidney Hospital in Polonnaruwa as requested by the Chinese President.
In 1988, with the technical and financial assistance of the Chinese government, the Supreme Court complex was given to Sri Lanka. Its renovation work started in April 2023.
The Government of Sri Lanka expresses its gratitude to China for the support provided by the Chinese Government to Sri Lanka whenever necessary, as well as in the issues of the Covid epidemic and the economic crisis. The Minister also mentioned that the support provided by reforming the Supreme Court to establish the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law in this country should be appreciated.

Qi Zhenhong, Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, expressed his views and said:

The granting of the Supreme Court complex by China to Sri Lanka in 1988 can be described as a special juncture in the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Currently, its renovation work is being done successfully.
China supported Sri Lanka to recover from the covid epidemic, to get rid of the economic crisis and also to eradicate terrorism. The ambassador also said that it is expected to assist in providing excellent and efficient judicial service by carrying out the renovation works of the Supreme Court complex quickly and successfully.
Nihal Ranasinghe, Secretary of the Ministry of Judicial Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reform, also expressed his views.
Further strengthening the existing diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the People’s Republic of China, the Supreme Court Complex was built as a grant by the Chinese Government in 1988 and handed over to the Government of Sri Lanka. An extensive renovation of the complex has been agreed.
Under two phases, the renovation work is to be completed within 32 months and under the first phase, the section where the Court of Appeal is established and under the second phase, the section where the Supreme Court is located will be renovated.
All renovation works are scheduled to be completed on 17th October 2025. An agreement between the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Justice and the China International Economic Cooperation Agency was signed on December 21, 2021 in relation to the reform activities. In 2012, the roof, security booths, plumbing system and electrical system of the Supreme Court complex were renovated.
During the renovation, the original appearance of the buildings will be preserved and the structure of the court complex will not change, and by April 30, 2024, 35 percent of the renovation work has been completed. Work on the project started in April 2023.

Geng Zichao, Secretary of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, Lu Xiaoxu, Project Advisor of the Supreme Court Complex Renovation Project, high officials of the Ministry of Justice, officials of the Chinese Embassy and officials of the Supreme Court Complex Renovation Project were present on this occasion.