–Attorney-General Nandlall reaffirms, as Court of Appeal opens new wing
IN a significant move toward modernising its legal infrastructure, the Supreme Court of Guyana, on Monday, commissioned the new wing of the Court of Appeal building at Kingston, Georgetown, which will improve the efficiency of litigation.
According to Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., this commissioning is aligned with the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government’s transformative agenda, which aims to revolutionise the way legal cases are managed within the country and to ensure a quicker access to justice for its citizens.
Nandlall was at the time delivering the feature address at the opening ceremony, where he related that the commissioning followed the amendments to the Court of Appeal (Amendment) Bill of 2022 which caters for increasing the number of appellate court judges to at least nine.
“This is a small, simple but very historic ceremony as it celebrates another milestone in our criminal justice system,” he said, noting that given Guyana’s “litigious” environment, its Appellant Court outgrew its old building which was not feasible anymore.
He added: “This is only going to be one in many transformational interventions that will decrease shortly. I have reiterated on many occasions that our government is acutely aware of the fundamental role that the judiciary must play in the transformation which is taking place across the landscape of our country.”
Nandlall said that the PPP government never hesitated to partner with the judiciary since it is of the view that the judiciary, law and order and the institutions of justice constitute the foundation upon which modern society rests.
He pointed to the constructions and upgrading of courts throughout the various districts in Guyana to reduce the workload and backlog of cases.
“So, there is a physical transformation taking place. When the government speaks about the physical transformation, we are not only speaking about the transformation from an executive perspective; we are speaking about the transformation across every divide in our country.
“As I said, the judiciary will never be left out! That is why we are partnering with the judiciary again, in terms of bringing with within its repertoire the most advanced technological facilities,” Nandlall reaffirmed.
He added that the judiciary and those in the legal profession must know that the government is committed to working with them to ensure Guyana has the “most modern legal system in the Caribbean.”
“It is already a recognised and an undisputed fact that we have by far the most aggressive legislative agenda, if not in the Caribbean perhaps the entire Commonwealth,” Nandlall said.
He alluded to the Arbitration Bill, Plea Bargaining and Agreement Bill, the Abolishing of preliminary inquiries (PIs) – all matters which are before the National Assembly.
He also highlighted the ongoing works on the law reports, revamping of sentencing guidelines and the Evidence Act.
Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Justice Yonette Cummings Edwards said that the court is essential for the functioning of a democratic society.
“Why the expansion of the Court of Appeals building? There was a lack of space. Our files or on the ground, our cabinets couldn’t fit the officers[sic]. There was no room. So aside from that, the economic activities in our country shows the need for more matters to be dealt with the commercial matters, the environmental and other matters.
“The need is there for litigation for those cases to be heard. And for those cases to be heard in a way that is conducive to justice, in a way that we have the same conducive to [sic] environment. So, when you come to court, you can be confident and have your cases heard,” she said.
The court is a modern courtroom, seven chambers for judges, lounge, library, gym, accessibility for persons with disabilities and is retrofitted with the latest cutting-edge technology, among more.
