Courts

Attorney General Anil Nandlall on Monday confirmed that the surviving families of the 20 children who were burnt to death at Mahdia Secondary School dormitory earlier this year are each receiving GY$5 million. “It is an ongoing process,” he told Demerara Waves Online News. “The Government of Guyana hereby offers to the parent/guardian of the victim the sum of five ...

The conviction and sentencing of Michael Andrew Morgan for cocaine trafficking is being hailed by the Head of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), James Singh as yet another major dent in going after the so-called ‘big fish’ drug traffickers. After a year-long trial, Morgan was Friday convicted for being in possession of 7 pounds (3.27 kilogrammes) of cocaine, sentenced to ...

President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday announced that the Public Service Commisssion (PSC) would by this weekend be fully constituted, a move that would pave the way for the activation of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). “Our intention is to have all the members of the Public Service Commission sworn in before the end of this week. This will pave the ...

The High Court has ruled that the police detention of a lawyer because she advised her client to remain silent was unconstitutional and the seizure of her cellular phone was wrongful, Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes said Saturday. Attorney-at-Law Tamieka Clarke last November sued police for in excess of GY$100,000 in damages but the c0urt has pushed back its decision on the ...

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall on Saturday said the High Court’s award of a GY$10 million libel judgement against his predecessor, Basil Williams, for claiming that he had stolen law books, now sets the groundwork for suing anyone who levels similar accusations. “I hope that the public and in social media will desist from accusing me ...

-Code also considers health of victim, withdrawal from case Guyana’s Code for Prosecutors provides sufficient basis for Local Government Minister Nigel Dharamlall  to be charged with the rape of a 16-year old girl although the complainant has formally asked to withdraw the complaint, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) said on Saturday. “Public interest considerations in the Dharamlall case point ...

Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and Chairman of the CCJ Academy for Law, Justice Winston Anderson has been re-appointed by the International Council of Arbitration for Sports (ICAS) as a Member of the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) for the period 2023 to 2026. The re-appointment was made  in May, 2023. Mr. Justice Anderson, a native ...

Guyana is borrowing Trinidad and Tobago’s plea bargaining legislation, aimed at facilitating discussions between prosecutors and offenders to ease the backlog of criminal cases and reduce the prison population, authorities said. “Its primary intent is to provide the opportunity for prosecutors and accused persons to meet under specific circumstances and negotiate a settlement acceptable to the principles of justice,” the ...

Well-known Guyanese lawyer Nigel Hughes on Monday defended his decision to defend People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) government minister, Nigel Dharamlall in a rape allegation by a 16-year old schoolgirl, arguing that his priority is to ensure that the system works fairly for the complainant and the accused. “We have to ensure first of all you protect the person who ...

Guyana’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Hack on Saturday recommended the scrapping of jury trials for murder accused in the interior regions, and offences such as money laundering, trafficking in persons and cybercrime because of the technical nature of the evidence. She called on the Guyana government to amend the legislation to allow for judge-only trials as reasons should ...