Leading criminal attorney Murseline Bacchus dies

Senior Counsel Murseline Bacchus, 83, died early Tuesday, the Guyana Bar Association has announced.

The Association noted that Mr. Bacchus SC was the pre-eminent lawyer for many years in the ancient county of Berbice and was one of Guyana’s leading criminal lawyers.

“He was among the earliest Caribbean-trained law graduates of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS), and was a classmate and lifelong friend of the former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Chief Justice, Ian Chang SC.

“Between them, they proved that a Caribbean legal education was, at least, the equivalent of English training, and they set the bar for the generation of Caribbean-trained lawyers who followed them,” the Bar Association stated.

It noted that Mr. Bacchus was appointed Senior Counsel by President David Granger in January 2020 and was in his fiftieth year of practice as an Attorney-at-Law in Guyana this year.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall SC said it was with deep sorrow that he learnt of the passing of Mr Bacchus, describing him as “a distinguished member of Guyana’s legal fraternity and a respected advocate who served the people of Berbice with unwavering dedication and in his own inimitable way for nearly five decades.”

He noted that Mr Bacchus’ sojourn in the legal field begun as a law clerk. He studied law at the University of Guyana and then continued at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados, and then onto the Hugh Wooding Law School.

Upon his return to Guyana, Mr. Bacchus quickly became a leading figure at the Berbice Bar.

“Renowned for his expertise in criminal law, Mr. Bacchus argued numerous high-profile cases, many of which are reported in the West Indian Reports. His industry, research and tenacity served his clients well,” the Attorney General stated.

Mr Bacchus, the Attorney General said, was one of the lawyers to whom practitioners could have turned to for guidance on obscure points in criminal law.

“Although a little rough in his mannerisms, he was always helpful. Only a few months ago, I engaged him in this regard. We spent several days in discussion while he researched the relevant legal issues”.

The Attorney General said Mr Bacchus was from the old school and researched from books, hardcopies not from the internet.

“His knowledge of old decided local cases was indeed admirable. He used them most skillfully, to the benefit of his clients. No doubt, practitioners and judges alike, benefitted from his research.”

Mr. Bacchus was inducted into the Inner Bar on the 22nd December, 2020, making him the only Berbician Senior Counsel to be adorned with silk in decades. It was a deserving elevation, the Attorney General stated.

“No doubt, the void left by him will be difficult to fill in the near future.”

Both the Bar Association and the Attorney General expressed heartfelt condolences to Mr Bacchus’ wife Pamela Bacchus, his daughter Patricia Bacchus, Attorney-at-Law, the entire Bacchus family, the Berbice Bar and the Guyanese legal fraternity.