Monthly Magistrate visits, new courts, upgraded lockups boost hinterland justice access – AG

Access to justice for residents of hinterland regions has significantly improved under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration. This was stated by Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall during his address at the National Toshao’s Conference (NTC). According to the Minister, this improvement is the result of enhanced living conditions, which will ultimately lead to greater participation of individuals in Magistrates’ court.
“You know that as recently as five years ago, Magistrates used to sit once every quarter [of the year] in your community. When a man was remanded, the next time the magistrate would return to revisit that remand order would be four months later. So, persons would automatically spend a quarter of a year in prison. Very unfair. That will not happen anymore.”
He added, “Magistrates now go once a month and stay for two, three, even four days because they have adequate living quarters right there. We have large facilities for clerical staff, for the payment of child support, and for all the other matters that go on in court.”
He also highlighted that infrastructural upgrades have been made to lockups, which are now equipped with air conditioning and other amenities to improve conditions for detainees.
“The lockups are very comfortable. Some of them are air-conditioned. But I’m not encouraging you to go there,” he joked.
Nandlall reaffirmed that the Government will continue to make the necessary investments to improve access to justice throughout the country.
In this regard, he assured that more courts will be established in various areas in the coming years.
“We completed one at Charity, so the people of the Pomeroon River know about that. We are also completing one at Anna Regina on the coast. We will open that, I believe, maybe next month. All of those are brand-new courts.
“To Orealla-Siparuta, we are promising here today that you will get a court, as you requested of me when I visited. The President has already instructed that we begin working on the establishment of a court there.”
He also recalled how, previously, persons had to travel long distances and endure significant hardship to access justice.
“You had to sleep there, you lost your belongings, you got robbed— all sorts of things, when I met with you in your communities. So, we will address that problem as well.”
Only in February of 2025, the Mabaruma Magistrate’s Court in Region One (Barima- Waini) a $277.9 million investment in Guyana’s justice system, was officially commissioned, representing a major step toward expanding access to justice in Region One. The state-of-the-art facility, constructed by Builders Hardware and General Supplies, with architectural and engineering oversight from E and A Consultants Inc, was built to revolutionise legal proceedings in the region, eliminating the need for costly and time-consuming travel to other courts.