Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall SC yesterday tabled a bill in the National Assembly to increase the number of judges sitting in the Court of Appeal to at least nine.
Currently, the law provides for not less than two and not more than five judges for Guyana’s Court of Appeal.
A month ago, Nandlall announced government’s plans to have that number increased from not less than five to not more than nine.
He is now hoping to achieve this through the Court of Appeal (Amendment) Bill No. 22 of 2022 which was read for the first time when sittings for the 12th Parliament resumed in the National Assembly yesterday morning.
The Act seeks to amend Section 34 of the Principal Act by substituting the words “two” and “five” with “five” and “nine.”
The Bill seeks to amend Section 34(1) of the Court of Appeal Act, Cap. 3:01, which presently, provides that the judges of the Court of Appeal shall include not less than two and not more than five justices of appeal.
Clause 2 of the bill amends Section 34(1) to provide that the complement of Court of Appeal judges shall now include not less than five and not more than nine Justices of Appeal.
Underscoring the shortage of judges which compounds the case backlog in the judiciary, Nandlall a month ago had announced that plans were afoot to effect the increase after consultations would have been held with the judiciary and the legal profession.
Describing the current complement as being “obviously inadequate,” the AG had said it necessitates an amendment, having regard to the caseload leaving the High Court for further ventilation before the Court of Appeal, even as he expressed hope that the proposed consultation will find agreement.
Asked at the time whether there will be a physical expansion of the Court of Appeal to accommodate the increased number of judges, Nandlall had said that construction is currently ongoing to accommodate another courtroom.
He had also said that he has pitched the idea of the possibility of having judges travel to the different counties to hear appeals.
