“JUSTICE DELAYED IS NOT JUSTICE DENIED – CHANCELLOR GEORGE
By Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News
Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Roxane George S.C., has underscored the importance of strengthening case management in Guyana’s courts, noting that new training under the PACE Justice Project will help ensure that “justice delayed is not justice denied.”
Delivering remarks at the opening of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and European Union-supported initiative on Thursday, Justice George explained that the judiciary has long been engaged in structured case management, particularly in criminal matters since the enactment of the Sexual Offences Act in 2010 and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said the latest programme will build on these efforts. “This training will therefore further enhance our capacity and capability to better address caseloads,” she stated. Chancellor George added that this training programme complements other initiatives such as judgment writing workshops and treating cases as projects to ensure efficiency.
The Chancellor further pointed out that the programme is aligned with the judiciary’s long-term strategy. “This training also dovetails with our strategic plan which emphasizes continuing judicial education and the implementation of performance standards to ensure an effective and efficient judicial system,” she said.
The training initiative falls under the EU-funded Partnership of the Caribbean and the European Union on Justice (PACE Justice) Regional Programme, which seeks to modernize Guyana’s justice system by building institutional capacity and the deployment of technology across the courts, police, prisons, and prosecutors’ offices.
Katy Thompson, Resident Representative of UNDP Guyana and Suriname, said the project has already delivered $73 million worth of IT equipment to the Guyana Police Force, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
She stressed the importance of integrating technology responsibly, especially as Artificial Intelligence increasingly shapes professional systems. “How to manage in a world with Artificial Intelligence both to use it as a tool to help you do your work but also to make sure that the limits of that are clearly demarcated and respected,” Thompson said.
The PACE Justice Project, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP in partnership with the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Legal Affairs, is aimed at reducing court backlogs and improving justice delivery through capacity building and technology-driven solutions.
