Retired Appeal Court judge BS Roy has been named as the head of the Law Reform Commission.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall announced on Saturday that President Irfaan Ali had approved Roy as Chairman and six other nominees for appointment to the body, which will be charged with advising on the updating of the laws.
The other members are Teni Housty, Clarissa Riehl, Brian O’ Toole, Emily Dodson, Roopnarine Satram and Deenawatie Panday.
In a statement issued by the Attorney General’s Chambers, Nandlall noted that the nominees were chosen after consideration of recommendations received from the various stakeholder organizations that were consulted pursuant to the provisions of the Law Reform Commission (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2021. Those stakeholders canvassed for nominations included the Private Sector Commission, the Labour Movement, the religious community, the constitutional rights commissions, the judiciary organisations representing the legal profession, the Guyana Human Rights Association and the National Toshaos Council.
The statement said that the members of the Commission are expected to be sworn in shortly. It added that the Commission will be operating out of a Government of Guyana building located at Lot 91 Middle Street, Georgetown. A Secretariat for the Commission has already been established and staffed.
According to the statement, the Law Reform Commission is an advisory body to the State and can recommend to the Government of Guyana amendments to existing laws, new legislation, and the repeal of existing legislation. The establishment of a Law Reform Commission is part of a fundamental component of the US$ 8 million dollar Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)-funded Support for the Justice System Programme. The IDB shall fund the functioning of the Commission for a specified period, it added, and the Government of Guyana is expected to take over funding thereafter.
