Guyana’s courts saying goodbye to paper-based case filing – Chief Justice

Last Updated on Tuesday, 9 January 2024, 19:09 by Denis Chabrol

Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire on Tuesday said Guyana’s court system is expanding its first ever e-filing platform for the filing and management of cases in the magistrate and High Courts.

She said the E-Litigation System for the Court of Appeal and the High Court would be ready for a soft-launch of phase one for the Court of Appeal in the next few weeks and phase two for the High Court should be ready by last quarter quarter of 2024.

Tuesday’s announcement followed sharply on the heels of last month’s launch of the magistrates’ court case management system through which police stations would file cases electronically to magisterial court district offices for electronic assignment to magistrates and the posting of hearing dates on electronic noticeboards.

“Like the magistrates’ court case management system, the E-Litigation System will be a game-changer for the administration of justice,” the Chief Justice added.

The E-Litigation System, she explained, would require litigants to commence filing at service bureaus at court registries where filing fees would be paid and the documents would be uploaded to the system with the assistance of  registration staff. She added that the exchange of documents between lawyers and the court as well as the issuance of court orders would be done through the portal.

Eventually lawyers would be required to file and make payments via a reducing balance credit system from “the comfort of their chambers or wherever they may be in the world.” Self-represented litigants would file through the service bureaus. Similarly, cases would be electronically assigned to judges. The Chief Justice said given that new system, the Civil Procedures Rules was being revised and the rules committee would receive a report before yearend.

The new electronic case management system, she said, would eventually lead to the elimination of the minute books as the court records and their replacement with transcripts and audio and video recordings “of all cases as the official record of our courts.”

The Deeds Registry, Land Registry and the Child Care and Protection Agency of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security would also be encouraged to use the electronic case filing system.

The establishment of the Electronic Case Management System is listed in the Supreme Court of Judicature Guyana 7-Year Strategic Plan 2024-2031. “The recovery of documents can take days, and it was suggested that the court and police could have access to a common
electronic system for paper trails. Solutions for this are already in progress(can be fully operational by mid-2024) through the E-Case Management System for the Magistrates’ Courts, and the E-litigation system for the High Court and Court of Appeal (by Q4 2023),” the document states.

The Chief Justice also announced that the Chancellor of Judiciary has asked that the Criminal Procedure Rules be reviewed to allow for the fast-tracking of criminal cases in the Magistrates’ Court and the High Court. “These rules will provide for more robust case management and greater efficiency in the adjudication of criminal cases so let me put all stakeholders on notice especially the police, prosecutors and the bar: you will have to be prepared to promote the over-riding objective of having cases dealt with in a very timely manner,” she said.