Revised laws, updated law report editions to be launched soon – AG Nandlall

– outlines 40 Bills to be tabled as part of Govt. legislative agenda

The Guyana Government will soon be launching the latest editions of the Revised Laws of Guyana and the Updated Law Reports of Guyana as part of the modernisation of the legal sector. This is according to Attorney General (AG) and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, S.C., during his recent debate presentation on Budget 2026 in the National Assembly. According to Nandlall, the AG Chambers has been engaged in these two projects since 2023. He went on to explain the importance of revising the Laws of Guyana. “All the legislation that we are passing, at some point in time, we have to insert them in the consolidated volumes of the Laws and reprint the Laws [of Guyana] to reflect those insertions… We last revised our laws in 2012 and we are doing a second one. And I am proud to inform the House that we have completed revision of the laws from 2012 to December 31, 2022, and we will be launching them shortly,” he stated on Friday. Currently, there are 14 volumes of the Laws of Guyana, known as the “Purple Book/Volumes,” but with launch of the new editions, this number will double to 28 volumes due to the massive increase of newly enacted laws and legislations as well as amendments to existing ones done in recent years. Previously, AG Nandlall had indicated that Government will print 200 sets of those 28 volumes. In addition, to the hard copies, the soft copy of the revised Laws of Guyana will also be available.

Law Reports
On the other hand, Guyana’s Law Reports contain important cases that have been decided by the courts. These cases are recorded and kept in volumes to serve as precedent for similar cases that might arise in the future. Compiling these cases in volumes ensures accessibility and facilitates ease and consistency in the judicial process. “Case law reports allow easy access to past decided cases. So, if there is a case going on in Guyana and there is a particular legal issue, I can draw from a jurisdiction with a similar legal system across the Commonwealth – India, Africa, Australia, Canada, England, the Caribbean – and I can go to those countries’ reports…and find a case of similarity which can apply,” the Legal Affairs Minister noted. He explained that Guyana has a long tradition of compiling its own law reports, dating back to the mid-19th century, but there has been gaps for recent years. In 2012, 10 reports from 1977 to 2007 were published with plans now to release newer editions. “After these Budget Estimates are completed, we are going to launch, along with the revision, Law Reports of Guyana from 2008 to 2022 in which you will find all the important cases that we have decided in all the courts of our country – a very important institution for lawyers, judges and even academically-inclined people,” Nandlall emphasised. This consolidation and revision initiative is a collaborative effort between the Law Revision Commission – a Unit within the AG’s Chambers and Ministry of Legal Affairs – and the Improved Access to Justice in the Caribbean (IMPACT Justice) Project, a regional justice sector reform project funded by the Government of Canada to improve access to justice in the Caribbean. The exercise commenced in February 2022 by the Regional Law Revision Centre Inc. (RLRC), an Anguilla company that specialises in consolidation and revision, among other things.

Sweeping legislative agenda
Meanwhile, AG Nandlall, during his budget debates, also detailed that more than 40 bills and regulations are slated to be introduced in the National Assembly as the Government moves to modernise Guyana’s legal and regulatory framework.
The wide-ranging legislative programme will address areas including finance, business regulation, public security, justice reform, healthcare, agriculture, energy, environmental management and social services. Among the financial and economic measures to be introduced are the Fiscal Enactments Bill, Development Bank Fund Bill, Guyana Natural Gas Bill, Virtual Assets Bill and amendments to strengthen security interests in movable property. These measures are intended to support investment, expand access to financing and advance the country’s energy and digital economy initiatives. Several bills are also aimed at improving the business environment and commercial regulation, including a new Companies Bill, Business Names Registration Bill, Hire Purchase (Amendment) Bill and legislation addressing the sale of depreciating assets and the establishment of trusts. In the justice sector, the Government plans to table several reforms designed to improve efficiency and access to justice.

These include the Evidence Bill, Judge Alone Trial Bill, Alternative Sentencing Bill, Rehabilitation of Offenders Bill, amendments to the High Court Act, and changes to the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act. Additional legislation will address international child abduction, recovery of child support and measures to strengthen protections against harassment and sexual offences. Public security and defence will also be addressed through the Firearms Control Bill, Prisons Bill, Border Patrol Bill, and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Training Institute Bill, along with amendments to immigration laws and new regulations governing emergency lights, sirens and speed-limiting devices for motor vehicles. Several bills will focus on health and social protection, including the Telehealth Bill, Medicines Regulation Bill, Ambulance Services Bill, Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill, Social Workers Bill and regulations governing human organ and tissue transplants.
In agriculture, food safety and environmental management, the legislative agenda includes the Food Security Bill, amendments to the Food Safety Act, Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Act, and regulations related to plant protection and rice farmers’ security of tenure. The Government also plans to introduce legislation to strengthen national development and heritage preservation, including the National Heritage Preservation Bill, Solid Waste Management Bill, Port Authorities Bill, and amendments to support electricity sector reform. The AG said the legislative programme forms part of the Government’s broader effort to modernise institutions, improve governance and create a legal framework suited to Guyana’s rapidly expanding economy. He emphasised that the measures are designed to strengthen the rule of law, improve public services and ensure that the country’s legal system keeps pace with economic and social transformation.