ATTORNEY-GENERAL and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC., MP met with Madam Justice Louise Esther Blenman, Chief Justice of Belize, on Friday, to discuss updates on several legal projects during a courtesy call.
Justice Blenman is set to deliver the feature address at the upcoming ‘First Legal Conference on Criminal Justice Reform – Advancing the Needham’s Point Declaration,’ scheduled for July 10-11 at the Guyana Marriott Hotel.
The conference will gather notable figures such as the Commonwealth Secretary General, Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland KC, judges from the Caribbean Court of Justice, and other regional legal dignitaries.

Justice Blenman, who is known as a legal trailblazer is the first woman to be appointed Chief Justice of Belize and has a distinguished legal career spanning multiple countries.
“Justice Blenman is Guyanese by birth. Her legal career began in Guyana where she served in various capacities including, Acting Deputy Solicitor General in the Attorney General’s Chambers, acting Magistrate and a Lecturer in law at the University of Guyana.
“In September 2000, Justice Blenman was appointed as the Solicitor General of Saint Lucia – a post she held until she was elevated to the bench of the High Court of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in 2003. Justice Blenman was appointed a Justice of Appeal in the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in 2012 and served in that capacity for ten years. In September, 2022, Justice Blenman was appointed Chief Justice of Belize,” a release from the AG’s chambers said.
During their meeting on Friday, Attorney General Nandlall provided an overview of significant initiatives undertaken by his office.

He also presented Justice Blenman with a set of the Guyana Law Reports (1977-2007), a Consolidated Index of Statutes and Subsidiary Legislation of Guyana, and an Index of the Guyana Law Reports (1930-2007).
The Conference will cover several topics, including but not limited to, eliminating case backlog, Criminal Procedure Rules, plea bargaining, Children’s Court experience, role and impact of Public Defender’s Office, Judge alone trials, dealing with DNA evidence in Court, Restorative Justice, the art of fact finding, sentencing guidelines and paper committals.
In this regard, the focus will be on enhancing continuous legal education in an effort to keep abreast with the transformative changes in the legal framework through shared knowledge and collaborative efforts which will serve well to equip all stakeholders in the Criminal Justice System to effectively implement and interpret new laws.

A distinguished group of presenters and panellists have been identified for this event and, also, among the impressive list of invitees are Attorneys General from the Caribbean, Heads of Judiciaries, Judges, Directors of Public Prosecution, legal experts, law professors, policymakers, criminal defence attorneys, advocates, members of law enforcement, law students and members of civil society, all from across the region coming together for a comprehensive discussion aimed at advancing the Needham’s Point Declaration.