–DPP reports sharp improvement in criminal case disposal for 2025
THE Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has reported a marked improvement in the pace and volume of criminal case disposal in Guyana’s High Courts for 2025, attributing the gains largely to an expanded judicial complement and more efficient assize sittings across the three counties.
According to the DPP’s Year in Review for 2025, a total of 310 cases were disposed of during the year. Of these, 200 matters received substantive attention in the High Courts of Demerara, Berbice and Essequibo, while 110 cases were discontinued through the entry of nolle prosequi.
A breakdown of the assize sittings shows that the Demerara Assizes continued to shoulder the heaviest caseload, accounting for 130 of the 200 High Court matters.
The Berbice Assizes heard 26 cases, while 44 were dealt with at the Essequibo Assizes.
The nature of the cases prosecuted highlights the serious criminal landscape confronting the courts. Murder charges dominated the docket, with 100 cases listed for that offence alone.
There were also 16 matters involving manslaughter, 59 sexual offence cases, and 19 charges for attempted murder. In addition, the High Courts dealt with one case each for conspiracy to commit murder, accessory after the fact to murder, felonious wounding, and wounding with intent. From these proceedings, the courts recorded a range of outcomes.
There were 29 convictions following trials, alongside 94 guilty pleas, a figure that suggests a significant number of accused opted to admit culpability rather than contest the charges.
Jury trials resulted in 39 not guilty verdicts, while 44 formal verdicts of not guilty were also recorded. The year also saw two hung juries and one aborted trial. In total, 218 accused persons had their matters heard in the High Courts during 2025.
Beyond concluded trials, the DPP’s Office also reported heavy activity at the pre-trial stage. During the year, 228 committal documents were received, with 158 originating from Demerara, and 35 each from Berbice and Essequibo. These committals form the pipeline for indictable matters entering the High Court system. Of the depositions reviewed, 190 were indicted, signalling that the DPP found sufficient evidence to proceed to trial in the majority of cases.
However, charges in 19 matters were discontinued due to insufficient evidence to support an indictment, underscoring the prosecutorial obligation to pursue only cases that meet the required legal threshold. Twelve matters remain under active consideration, while four were remitted to the Magistrates’ Courts for additional evidence to be taken before a final decision could be made.
The scale of prosecutorial oversight extended well beyond indictable matters. The DPP’s Office also proffered legal advice in 4,060 police files received from the Guyana Police Force during 2025. A key development underpinning the year’s improved performance was the appointment of 10 new puisne judges in 2024. As a result, four judges were able to sit simultaneously in the Demerara High Court Assizes throughout 2025.
The DPP’s Office reported that this increase in judicial capacity led to “a great improvement in the number of criminal cases disposed of in the High Courts in Guyana,” with a corresponding reduction in the longstanding backlog of matters.
Importantly, the impact was not only quantitative but procedural. With more judges available, cases were heard in a “relatively speedier manner than before,” aligning more closely with the principles set out in the Needham Point Declaration, which emphasises the right to a fair trial within a reasonable time. The DPP noted that this translated into accused persons waiting less time for their cases to be heard.
