Bill tabled to increase the number of Appeal Court Justices to nine

Nov 13, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – The voluminous caseload that sits at the Court of Appeal and the small complement of Judges to dispose of the matters in a timely manner has resulted in Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC tabling the Court of Appeal (Amendment) Bill No 22 of 2022.

The Court of Appeal

The Bill which was tabled this week is aimed at increasing the number of Judges sitting in the Court of Appeal to at least nine. There are currently only three permanent Appellate Judges.

The Attorney General had previously noted his Government’s intention to amend the law to increase the number of serving Appeal Court Justices. According to Section 35 (1) of the Court of Appeal Act, the Judges of the Court of Appeal shall include not less than two and not more than five Justices of Appeal.

The Government is hoping to change the law to not less than five and not more than nine judges and is hoping that during consultations, stakeholders will find agreement on the proposal.

Additionally, the Government is also proposing to make the Court of Appeal itinerant which will allow the Appeal Court Justices to sit in different counties to hear appeals in those counties.

The Government will also work with the Judiciary to resource the necessary staff needed to support the court.

“You can’t only appoint judicial officers and don’t give them the necessary resources and personnel backup for them to discharge their services, it’s an all-encompassing exercise,” Nandlall had said in a previous interview.

He noted that these moves are in line with the Government’s ideology that the administration of justice is an important factor in the democratic, economic and social equation of the country.