It would be legally and constitutionally reprehensible to cut the budget

It would be legally and constitutionally reprehensible to cut the budget – AG Nandlall

Apr 09, 2014 News

By Latoya Giles
“If the Joint Opposition decides to make any cuts to the 2014 National Budget it would be legally and constitutionally reprehensible,” says Attorney General Anil Nandlall.
According to the AG, the January 2014 court ruling by the Chief Justice Ian Chang confirmed his earlier edict that the Opposition has no power at law or under the Constitution to cut the National Estimates presented by the Minister of Finance.

Attorney General
Anil Nandlall

Nandlall said that it would be “a most calculated and callous abrogation of the Rule of Law and an assault on our constitutional democracy”.
Hence, he told the National Assembly that there have been significant changes within his ministry since his last budget presentation.
One of the accomplishments Nandlall said was the Ministry of Legal Affairs after a 34-year hiatus, being able to conclude and present publicly the Revised Laws of Guyana.
Nandlall said that the conclusion of this exercise was preceded by another historic achievement, with the completion and launch of Law Reports from 1997 to 2007.
He told the House that with these signal achievements accomplished, work will now begin in 2014 to continue these exercises in order to avoid the protracted lapses to which he had made reference.
The AG said that work will also begin on compiling another set of Law Reports from 2008 to date. “Updating and continuous revising of the laws have already begun, within the AG Chambers. A Law Revision Officer has been appointed and duly trained within that discipline.”
Further, he said that the Official Gazette has been placed online, a venture which is being managed by the AG Chambers in collaboration with National Printers.
Nandlall said that the response to this initiative has been remarkable.
“The website has had over a million hits and persons from as far as Australia, Fiji, India, Africa, and of course, Europe and North America, have been accessing the website with encouraging frequency.”
Moreover, he said that the automatic voice recording equipment for the court system will be installed within a matter of days. Nandlall said that the initiative is expected to make a transformational change to the speed of litigation in the country. He said that while the equipment will only be installed in the Court of Appeal, the Courts of the Chief Justice, and the Commercial Court of the High Court, the intention is to replicate it in every superior court of record in the country.
Nandlall stressed that accountability and people’s participation are important cornerstones of good governance. He said that he believes that no institution which is funded by public monies is exempt from scrutiny, not even the Judiciary.
In this regard, he said that they have established a Civil and Criminal Justice Committee under the now concluded Modernization of the Justice Administration Sector Project. He explained that these committees are established and managed by those in charge of the Judiciary.
Three Criminal Committees have been established, one in each of the three counties. There is one National Civil Justice Committee which caters for the needs of the three counties. This Committee meets at the Secretariat which is established in the Court of Appeal building. The Committees meet quarterly.
It was noted that their function is to monitor the work of the Magistrates court and the High court with a view of improving the quality and efficiency of service delivery. These Committees are specifically tasked to assist and make recommendations for the reduction of the backlog of both civil and criminal cases, reduction in the management and adjudication of cases and receiving complaints from court users in relation to the problems they are encountering in the system.
Nandlall highlighted that 18 laptops were purchased and distributed to the judges of the Court of Appeal and the High Court with the expectation that it will assist in the prompt writing up of decisions.
Almost three years after the completion of the Family Court, Nandlall said that it would finally be ready “within a few weeks”.
He said that the last set of furniture purchased from “Fibre Tech Industries” – Fibre Glass bucket chairs – will be installed within a few days.
The rules for the Family Court have already been completed and are with the Chancellor to be brought into operation.
Nandlall said that the original cost submitted for the furniture was $32M. He said that cabinet had withheld its “no objection” to this award and the Court was eventually furnished at a cost of about $12M, saving the taxpayers nearly $20M.
Nandlall noted that this year monies have been allocated to construct a building in the compound of the Supreme Court, Georgetown, which will house the Land Court of Demerara, a Registry and storage facilities for the Supreme Court. He said that the edifice will house a minimum of two courtrooms and chambers for the judges. The possibility therefore exists for one of those courtrooms to be used as an additional Court of the High Court.
This year also, Nandlall said, it is expected that persons can see the completion of a new Magistrate’s Court building at No 51 Village, Corentyne.
On or around June of this year, Nandlall said that construction will commence at Sparendaam in respect of a brand new, fully air conditioned, building, along with parking facilities, for Magistrates, to house a new Magistrates’ Court there.
He said that the building is expected to accommodate two courtrooms along with chambers for the Magistrates. This would be the first time that two courts will be operating at that location.