Kennard tells of more improvements to justice system
TWO more Magistrates' Courts are to be established at Kwakwani, Berbice River and Orealla, Corentyne River, while efforts are made to relocate the one at Fort Wellington, West Coast Berbice, in a more suitable building. Chancellor of the Judiciary, Mr Cecil Kennard made the disclosure when he spoke at the inaugural sitting of the Court of Appeal in the `Ancient County' Wednesday and outlined other action being taken for improving the administration of justice. In the packed courtroom at the New Amsterdam High Court Building were members of the legal fraternity, among them the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Denis Hanomansingh and other special invitees, including Chairman of Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) Mr Rohit Persaud and President of Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development Association, Mr Mohamed Raffik. Chancellor Kennard said the occasion was another of his dreams realised. He acknowledged that the Berbice Bar was also very instrumental in the realisation of the session and said sittings in that county will continue to be a regular feature as long as he heads the Judiciary. Mr Kennard said, in the past, Berbice litigants might have found it inconvenient to travel to Georgetown for their appeals. Although it is not measured in terms cost recovery, the extension of the appellate body is meant to serve the community and give justice to people, the top judicial functionary explained. He confirmed that several outstanding decisions of the Court of Appeal since its establishment in 1966 have been cited by other regional and international courts. The Chancellor challenged practising lawyers to do extra work in the Magistrate's Court on Fridays after Bail Court and admonished them not to file frivolous claims. The Attorney General, Senior Counsel Charles Ramson said he was happy to be part of a new chapter in the judicial history of Guyana. He said moving the Appeal Court to Region Six was a vision of the Administration and other arms of the State and it coincided with the process of change. Commending the Chancellor for implementing the proposal, Ramson said this era of globalisation and decentralisation is important. Other Senior Counsel Milton Persaud said it was an honour and pleasure to welcome the appellate judges to Berbice. Recalling the opening of the Guyana Court of Appeal in Georgetown in 1966, he said history has repeated itself. He alluded to the unrelenting efforts of Past President of the Berbice Bar Association (BBA), Mr Joseph Anamayah, for the highest tribunal in the country to sit in Berbice. Persaud, however, stressed the need for a Land Court Registry and compilation of a `short cause' list ( of short cases) to be heard in two weeks. Current BBA President, Mr Mirza Sahadat reiterated that the dispensation of justice has always been an integral part of the maintenance of the rule of law in a democratic society. "And to dispense justice, the ordinary citizen must have access to the highest courts of law at a reasonable cost and without great effort," he submitted. According to him, the history-making sitting fulfilled those requirements and members of the legal profession, who have their fingers on the pulse of the ordinary citizens, can attest to that fact. The official function was preceded by a ceremonial parade and march past by ranks of `B' Division Police led by a corps of drums. Chancellor Kennard took the salute, flanked on either side by other Justices of Appeal Lennox Perry and Prem Persaud.
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