New $294M Magistrates’ Courts, Living Quarters commissioned at Vigilance

…as Judiciary introduces payment of child/spousal support via MMG

By Feona Morrison

A new smart Vigilance Magistrates’ Courts and fully furnished living quarters are housed in a new structure that the Judiciary commissioned on Wednesday at Vigilance, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

The total cost of the building, furniture, and equipment amounts to $294,724,920.
It houses two courtrooms, Magistrates’ chambers, a prison, a hearing room for domestic violence cases, an interview room for survivors, a library, living quarters for Magistrates and clerk of court, and a briefing room for attorneys-at-law, among other modern facilities.
During a simple ceremony to commission the edifice, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, said this new courthouse will play an important role in the maintenance of law and order and will benefit lawyers, litigants, and members of the public.
“This court will no doubt play an important role in the maintenance of law and order in this magisterial district. I am happy that his court has a heavy workload. I am happy that, we are, for the first time, having a duplex court that will allow two Magistrates to sit. I hope that they will sit simultaneously and for five days per week. That will bring great speed to the way litigation is conducted and that is always welcomed in our system that has been plagued with chronic delays.”

Alluding to the court’s facilities, Nandlall said, “These are important facilities that our courts are now being equipped with right across Guyana. The added feature also is the residence facilities for the Magistrates to be here. These new facilities in addition to the architectural designs of these courthouses will no doubt enhance and augment efficiency.”
In addition, the Attorney General boasted about the massive changes taking place across the legal sector, especially in the area of criminal justice. On this note, he alluded to the pilot project being executed by the Director of Restorative Justice, the overhauling of the country’s archaic Evidence Act, and the repealing of the Domestic Violence Act. The latter, he noted, will be replaced by a modern Family Violence Bill.

He pointed out that the Government is cognisant of the economic and social transformation taking place in Guyana; and so must the justice system, the rule of law and access to justice advance. The Government is committed to investing heavily in those areas, assured the Attorney General.

Long overdue
For her part, Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards told the gathering that the Vigilance Magistrates’ Courts is long overdue.
“This court is long overdue. The enhancement of the delivery of services in the justice sector is long overdue. But like everything else, the journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.”

According to her, the opening of the new court signifies not only improved access to justice but also the commitment and dedication of a team of judicial officers and staff to achieving that end.
Sharing a historical background of the court, she noted that as far back as the 1940s, the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court was held in the top flat of a two-storey wooden building in the compound of the Vigilance Police Station and had one Magistrate sitting for three days per week.
She added that the new court has all the necessary facilities and technology to make it a smart court.
The Chancellor expressed that the Judiciary is truly grateful to the State of Guyana, President Dr Irfaan Ali, and stakeholders who worked tirelessly in bringing about this e-court.
Tangible support was also received from the USA’s National Centre for State Courts, the European Union (EU), UNICEF, the British High Commission, and the Canadian High Commission. Justice Cummings-Edwards added, “We continue to push for technological innovations and advancement, not just for the sake of it but to improve the delivery of justice and legal services.”

In closing, she urged the public to cherish the courthouse and to “hold all judicial officers, even me to account, if you are not getting the quality of service that you are entitled to receive.”
The design and supervision of the project was the responsibility of E&A Consultants Incorporated; while the construction was completed by Builders Hardware, General Supply and Construction. The contract for the new court was awarded in 2021.
Fabayo Azore, Christel Lambert, Alisha George, Marisa Mittelholzer, and Rochelle Liverpool are the Magistrates assigned to the East Demerara Magisterial District.
In the coming week, the Judiciary will hold sod-turning ceremonies for the construction of new Magistrates’ Courts at Friendship and Timehri, both on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).
For this year, $6.2B has been allocated to the justice sector from the $789.1B national budget, Guyana’s largest budget ever. The monies will be used to expand access to justice countrywide, while also addressing existing challenges in the legal system.

MMG
The Judiciary is preparing to launch its maintenance and affiliation application with digital payments. Online payment of child/spousal maintenance will start from next month through Mobile Money Guyana (MMG), Alex Graham, of Tagman Incorporated and the Information Technology Consultant at the Supreme Court of Judicature revealed on Wednesday.
And in the near future, MMG, a user-friendly app that can be downloaded on both Google Play Store and Apple Store, will be expanded to facilitate the payment of fines, bail, and court fees.
With the Judiciary preparing to launch its sophisticated electronic case management and litigation systems, Graham explained, “A considerable challenge to the digital transformation of the court system is how we handle payments digitally whether we are talking about bail, or fines, or filing fees or any other kind of payment that you make at any court registry.”
The foregoing was especially challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. “We have now passed that challenge. With the support we have received from MMG, we are able to introduce for the time in the court system starting with the payments of maintenance and affiliation. Persons who have been ordered by the court to make payments for their children and their former spouses will now be able to make those payments using the MMG platform.”
The Judiciary is in the process of training its staff and educating the public on the introduction of this new payment method. Very soon, the Judiciary intends to put in place other e-payment methods. Also in attendance at Wednesday’s opening ceremony were Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, SC, Chief Magistrate (ag) Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus, several Magistrates and Judges, court staff, foreign diplomats, and members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).