Nine new magistrates took the oath of office to serve the people of Guyana and to tackle the backlog of cases at the level of magistracy on Wednesday morning in a simple but significant ceremony.
The new magistrates with Prime Minister retired Brigadier Mark Phillips on Thursday
They took their oaths of office before the Prime Minister, retired Brigadier Mark Phillips who was in the presence of Chief Justice Roxanne George and Head of the Judicial Service Commission Ret’d Carl Singh among others at the Office of the Prime Minister on Camp Street, Georgetown.
The nine magistrates are Omadatt Chandan, Tameika Clarke, Abigail Gibbs, Tuanna Hardy, Shivani Lalaram, Michelle Mattias, Ravindra Mohabir, Teriq Mohammed and Orinthia Schmidt.
During his remarks, Prime Minister Phillips said that, “Magistrates are integral to the functioning of the legal system, and their duties are diverse, ranging from presiding over court proceedings to making critical decisions that impact the lives of individuals and communities.”
Prime Minister Phillips told the new magistrates that their office is important to Guyana while urging them to be fair efficient and effective in the execution of their duties.
“I wish to first of all advice that you must accord the highest priority to this portfolio which requires objectivity, neutrality, this is a portfolio that prohibits you from being influenced by any other consideration, other than by the evidence and the law before you,” the prime minister is quoted as saying in a DPI report.
Prime Minister Phillips reminded that all are equal in the eyes of the law. He was adamant that citizens must be accorded equal treatment in accordance with the law.
He also noted complaints from members of the public about the slothfulness of the legal system with cases pending before the court for long periods.
He is hopeful that this new addition of magistrates will help.
“While I recognise that the system is burdened, with a heavy case load, I also recognize the truism in the old adage that, all of us are accustomed to hearing that justice delayed is justice denied I sincerely hope that this addition of nine newly minted temporary magistrates to the compliment of our magistracy will bring greater speed to the conclusion to the cases before our legal system,” PM Phillips stated.
He noted too, that government continues to work with the judiciary by providing the requisite resources to ensure greater efficiency.
“There are no less than eight magistrate courts that are under construction or renovation somewhere in Guyana, most of these courts are in locations that never had courts before, the new magistrate courts will be constructed as edifices that accommodate more than one court at a single location,” he said.
Also, an e-filing system will be launched in the magistracy to allow for the electronic filing of criminal charges and other proceedings to ensure greater dispatch and speed in the legal system.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall S.C; Chancellor (ag) of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards; Chief Justice (ag), Justice Roxane George CCH, SC; former Chancellor, Justice Carl Singh (Ret’d); Retired Appeal Court Judge BS Roy; Chief Magistrate (ag), Sherdel Isaacs- Marcus; Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC), Manniram Prashad; Registrar of the Supreme Court, Sueanna Lovell; and, Attorney-at-law & President of the Guyana Bar Association, Ronald Burch-Smith, were also present at the ceremony.
On February 4, Guyana Times had reported that In an effort to fill the vacancies, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has appointed nine acting Magistrates to help ease the burden and clear the backlog of cases within the magistracy.
Only recently, the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister had disclosed that efforts were underway to have several Magistrates and Judges appointed to fill vacancies within the magistracy and Judiciary.
