By Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News |
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — A two-day intensive training symposium on Criminal Practice and Procedure opened at the Atlantic Suites by Hyatt in Georgetown, convened under the aegis of the Partnership of the Caribbean and European Union on Justice (PACE Justice) Project.
The regional initiative brings together prosecutors, state counsel, judicial officers, and key legal administrators to modernize prosecutorial strategy, reduce institutional trial backlogs, and enhance the overall administration of the criminal justice system across Guyana and the wider Caribbean basin.
Attorney General Nandlall: “Crime Has Been the Victor Over Law and Order”
Delivering the feature opening address, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, offered a sobering assessment of regional law enforcement, warning that traditional justice mechanisms have failed to match the agility, resources, and sophistication of contemporary criminal networks:
- Evaluating 50 Years of Anti-Crime Policy: Nandlall stated that over the past five decades, organized crime has consistently outpaced the machinery of law and order, arguing that conventional, siloed tactics have proven obsolete and require a systemic paradigm shift.
- Technological & Financial Superiority: The Attorney General highlighted that organized cartels and criminal syndicates leverage emerging digital technologies with far greater speed than bureaucratic state entities, backed by vast illicit financial reserves, transnational reach, and state infiltration.
- Synchronized System Delivery: Nandlall stressed that equipping state prosecutors is futile if the wider judicial apparatus fails to act in lockstep, arguing for an end to administrative discord between police investigators, magistrates, and the superior courts.
“It can’t be the prosecutors alone breaking their backs in the courts and then you have a tribunal that is not responsive,” Nandlall argued. “Unless you appreciate the might of the enemy, you can never be prepared for the battle.”
“Criminal justice is a two-way street,” he added. “In one lane there is the defendant’s interest—and that must be safeguarded and afforded all the necessary legal protections—and in the other lane, and equally important, is the state’s interest.”
Institutional Upgrades: Information Technology and Modern Statutory Tools
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC, welcomed the initiative, underscoring the necessity for prosecuting attorneys to continuously upgrade their courtroom methodologies to keep pace with rapid legislative reforms:
- Legislative Fluency: Ali-Hack emphasized that prosecutors must remain fully conversant with contemporary statutory regimes, including revised bail laws, modernized criminal procedure codes, and digital evidence rules.
- Digital Legal Integration: The DPP highlighted the vital role that information technology, electronic disclosure systems, and digital case-management platforms now play in standardizing criminal proceedings.
Regional Scope and Technical Facilitation
Providing an overview of the multilateral intervention, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Kathy Thompson reaffirmed the development agency’s commitment to reinforcing the rule of law, institutional integrity, and citizen access to justice across the region.
- Curriculum Building: The two-day session expands on earlier PACE Justice capacity programs, specifically building upon technical modules addressing the prosecution of money laundering offenses, asset recovery, and the operationalization of plea-bargaining agreements.
- Lead Facilitator: The sessions are being facilitated by Justice of Appeal Jillian Lucky of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Trinidad and Tobago, who brings extensive judicial experience in criminal jurisprudence, case-management protocols, and trial efficiency.
- Eight-Nation Regional Footprint: Funded by the European Union (EU) and executed by the UNDP, the PACE Justice Project supports judicial sector modernizations across eight Caribbean territories to curb systemic delays, expand alternative dispute mechanisms, and protect fundamental rights.
