In ‘litigious’ Guyana, Nandlall presses JSC on hiring more Appeal Court Judges 

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall called on Guyana’s Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to seek applications for suitably qualified judges at the Court of Appeal so that the court can hear more cases in a more efficient manner.

“… we ought to have advertisements soon published seeking suitably qualified persons to apply for the post of Justices of Appeal.

“It is our hope that we can have a sufficient number of judges to have two Court of Appeal sittings at the same time.

“We already have expanded the facilities at the Court of Appeal building to accommodate two courts so it is our hope that you can have two appeals heard by two differently constituted courts either simultaneously or one after the other,” Nandlall said at a press conference at Arthur Chung Conference Centre at Liliendaal, Georgetown.

He also wants the Appeal Court to organise sittings in Berbice and Essequibo. Such moves are necessary, Nandlall said, because Guyana is a heavily “litigious” country.

With sufficient judges, he said, more persons can be assigned to the counties of Essequibo and Berbice. He also said it helps the State to save funds instead of paying for flights and accommodation.

The long-anticipated JSC was reconstituted in July 2023.

The reconstitution of this Commission came as several public figures, including judicial officers, lamented the dire need for more Judges to dispose of criminal proceedings in a timely manner since the number of cases on trial has increased significantly over the years. This impacts the efficient delivery of justice, they argued.

In October, the Commission invited applications for suitably qualified persons to serve as magistrates and as judges for the High Court. An issue for judges for the Appeal Court was not yet issued.