–$2 billion to advance works at various courts

THE government has earmarked $9.3 billion in the 2026 national budget to finance the expansion and operations of Guyana’s justice system, with a significant focus on court infrastructure and digital transformation, among other key things.
This was according to Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, during his presentation of Budget 2026 to the National Budget.
Addressing the National Assembly, Dr Singh underscored the importance of sustained investment in the sector, noting that “a strong justice system is the anchor of any democratic society”.
Against this backdrop, he said the government has been taking all necessary and appropriate steps to ensure the continuous strengthening of the justice sector through institutional reform, sustained investment, and digital transformation.
Delving into the allocations, a majority of the overall allocation will go towards the expansion of court infrastructure across the country.
Dr Singh revealed that in 2025, $1.5 billion was expended to advance the expansion of court facilities, resulting in the establishment of new courts in Anna Regina, Charity, Friendship, Mabaruma and Mahdia, along with significant extensions and upgrades to several existing courts.
For 2026, an additional $2 billion has been budgeted to advance work at various courts, including Timehri, La Parfaite Harmonie and Providence Magistrate’s Court, which he said will further widen access to justice countrywide.
The budget also supports continued digital transformation within the judiciary. Dr Singh reported that since the launch of the e-litigation platform in 2024 for the High Court, Court of Appeal and Full Court, the system has been steadily rolled out to automate court filings. To date, 9,962 cases have been filed electronically, with 7,946 of those filed in 2025.
He added that the case management system, first launched at the Diamond Magistrates’ Court in 2023, was expanded to the Friendship Magistrates’ Court in 2025, with further nationwide rollout planned.
Further to this, the investment in human resource capacity in the sector continues to be a priority. Dr Singh said that following the reconstitution of the Judicial Service Commission in 2023 and the enactment of the Court of Appeal (Amendment) Act 2025, six justices of appeal were appointed in 2025.
This, he said, increased the capacity of the system to discharge its important functions efficiently.
Funding has also supported the rollout of restorative justice initiatives, with nine Restorative Justice Centres commissioned nationwide to date and as such, he said that in 2025 alone, 42 cases were successfully resolved.
Dr Singh stated, “In 2025, we spent $7.3 billion to finance the expansion and operations of the justice system and, in 2026, an amount of $9.3 billion is budgeted.”