–Attorney-General Nandlall announces; stresses critical need for continuous legal education
IN a landmark event set to redefine the future of criminal justice in the Caribbean, Guyana will host its first-ever Legal Conference on Criminal Justice Reform to meet the evolving demands of modern legal challenges.
The conference, scheduled for July 10-11, 2024, at the Marriott Hotel Georgetown, is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Legal Affairs, the Attorney General’s Chambers of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Academy for Law.
Funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), this event promises to be a pivotal moment for legal experts, policymakers, and advocates dedicated to advancing criminal justice reform.
According to Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., there is an urgent need for continuous legal education in Guyana to keep up with the transformative changes in legislation.
“So, we are going to be the host of a mega event. This is the follow-up to what took place last year in Barbados. We have to continue our education; we can’t be passing new laws and making innovative changes without continuous educational programs. That is something that we have to work on,” Nandlall said during the commission of the new wing of the Court of Appeal building at Kingston, Georgetown, on Monday.
This conference aims to build on the significant progress made during the Seventh Biennial Conference in Barbados, where the Needham’s Point Declaration was adopted.
The declaration encapsulates best practices, experiences, and recommended actions for addressing critical issues within the criminal justice system.
Nandlall said that as Guyana prepares to host this monumental event, the focus will be on enhancing the legal framework through shared knowledge and collaborative efforts.
He also addressed the importance of equipping judges and legal practitioners with the necessary skills to effectively implement and interpret new laws.
The Attorney- General further disclosed that on Monday, he met with a team from the European Union, where he raised concerns about the need for continuous legal education for judiciaries in Guyana
“I raised that as an issue; I said to them, we are making tremendous progress, but we need education.
The new arbitration bill, for example, we have held several training programmes inviting international arbitrators across the Caribbean, training lawyers, and members of the bar. The judiciary was also invited to some of these training sessions,” Nandlall said.
He further stressed the need for ongoing training to ensure magistrates and judges understand new legislative frameworks, such as the committal proceedings legislation.
“We have to ensure that we do training so that our magistrates will understand the new committal proceedings legislation and all the other legislation that I’m speaking about. This is something that we will have to concentrate on in the next few years going forward.
“A main component will have to be our continuous legal education because we are passing so many transformative legislations and judges are expected to just understand them. We have to find ways of educating our judges, finding manuals, and creating books that can help with the interpretation of various pieces of legislation,” Nandlall said.
According to him, this event aligned with the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government’s transformative agenda, which aims to revolutionise the way the judiciary operates and to ensure the correct interpretation and application of laws, which is crucial for the country’s development.
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.”
This year, the justice sector received $6.8 billion which is said to be a catalyst for the advancement of Guyana’s legislative agenda, which aims to foster transparency, accountability, inclusivity, and efficiency.
Legislative interventions planned for 2024 include drafting a new bill to address the outdated Evidence Act, Plea-Bargaining Act, Sexual Offences Act and the Arbitration Bill, allowing arbitration experts from outside Guyana to conduct arbitration in the country.
Additionally, a review of the Companies Act has already started and will follow the CARICOM model very closely to produce a more modern legal framework to govern the corporate sector.
Also on the cards is the abolishing of preliminary inquiries (PI). The basic PI procedure is set out in the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act, Chapter 10:01 which involves the taking down in writing of oral evidence given on oath before the magistrate.
