A new magistrate’s court will be constructed at Tuschen, in Region Three to expand the reach of justice to residents, thereby ensuring Guyana’s judiciary can manage the hike in the number of cases.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, made the disclosure, during the commissioning ceremony of the new wing at the Court of Appeal on Monday.
The AG said the new court at Tuschen is critical, as the existing courts at Vreed-en-Hoop and Leonora cannot manage the caseload in the region.
“We are going to turn the sod, accompany the Chancellor, the Chief Justice, and their team to visit a site at Tuschen where we will hopefully construct another magistrate’s court,” AG Nandlall said.
He added that new courthouses are being built to expand access to justice countrywide.
Also, three courthouses are underway at Friendship, Soesdyke, and Providence on the East Bank in Region Four.
“Across the Essequibo River, we have already completed a new magistrate’s court at Bartica. We have two being constructed in Region One; one at Mabaruma, one at Port Kaituma,” the legal affairs minister pointed out.
In Region Eight, the Mahdia Magistrate’s Court is also expected to be commissioned soon.
The minister said these new edifices are part and parcel of the physical transformation underway in Guyana, as the government continues to build out a robust legal landscape.
In Budget 2024, some $1.7 billion was allocated for the completion of magistrate’s courts and living quarters at Anna Regina, Cove and John, Friendship, Mabaruma, Mahaicony, Mahdia, Port Kaituma and Timehri, as well as the extension of the Court of Appeal Building in Kingston.