Diario Libre mentions that the construction of the palace to house the Supreme Court as well as other courtrooms in the Centro de los Heroes is rapidly deteriorating due to neglect and abandonment by the present government. The newspaper says the building, begun in 1999 with an investment of RD$200 million, was received by the Mej?a government in August 2000 with 90% of all work completed, and 80% of its costs paid for. By the end of 2000, Public Works Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado had announced that the building would be inaugurated on 7 January 2001 to commemorate the day of the Executive Branch. The newspaper points out that the abandonment is increasing the cost of the building, which now suffers from serious deterioration, especially due to its location a short distance from the Caribbean Sea.