Court of Appeal to clear 30-year backlog of appeals, applications, avoid future prolonged delays

Last Updated on Saturday, 24 January 2026, 21:05 by Writer

Guyana’s Court of Appeal has started clearing a backlog of more than 2,000 appeals and applications filed 30 years ago and begun steps to ensure that this does not happen again, the court said on Friday.

Notices of hearing will be sent to the recorded addresses of litigants and attorneys-at-law, and will be published in the newspapers and on the Court’s website under ‘Hearing Lists’ and on its official Facebook page.

“Applications filed in 2026 will be assigned on a continual basis so that they can be heard in the most timely manner possible. To ensure there is no longer a large backlog of cases, the appeal panels will also be assigned more recently filed appeals,” the court said in a statement.

To facilitate this initiative, the Court of Appeal has been constituted into three panels, each assigned 70 cases, representing a total of 210 cases in the first tranche. The court added that each panel’s allocation comprises 21 civil appeals, 20 criminal appeals, and 29 applications for leave to appeal and for extensions of time to appeal.

Hearings in these matters will commence with the civil appeals on 10, 12 and 13 February 2026 at 9.30 a.m. on each day.

The move is as a result of a directive by the Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire that the Court of Appeal embark on a backlog reduction exercise to clear over 2000 appeals and applications that were filed between 1 Jan 1996 and 31 December 2024.

“The Court acknowledges the understandable concern of litigants and attorneys-at-law awaiting the determination of long-standing matters and assures all stakeholders that this exercise reflects a firm commitment to the timely, fair and transparent administration of justice,” the court said in a statement.

The court says applications for leave to appeal and for extensions of time to appeal are those filed between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2025.

Also, the court says its records indicate that there are no pending applications filed prior to 2021.

“The Court of Appeal emphasises that this exercise will be court-driven, guided by robust case management principles, and that no case will be returned to the court registry without disposition. Therefore, all attorneys-at-law and litigants are expected to be fully prepared to assist the panels so that cases can be concluded,” the Court added.