The Commonwealth Secretariat will partake in a seminar from 26-28 November in Georgetown, Guyana to present new Civil Procedure Rules
The Commonwealth Secretariat will partake in a seminar from 26-28 November in Georgetown, Guyana to present new Civil Procedure Rules, which will help govern the conduct of all civil litigation in the country.
The new rules will simplify the litigation process and are a major step towards reducing the number of cases which go to court, as well as curbing long delays in the hearing of civil litigation cases.
The seminar will target lawyers, judges and court registry staff and be led by Justice Robin Mohammed of the High Court of Trinidad and Tobago, who drafted the new CPR, Practice Directions and Protocols.
Katalaina Sapolu, Director of Rule of Law at the Secretariat said: “The rule of law is at the heart of the new rules. The overriding objective of the rules is to enable the court to deal with cases justly. They will help fulfil the expectation of the Guyanese people that when they go to court, not only should they receive justice but that they do so expeditiously and in a cost effective manner.
“This is essential for economic development and will reassure investors and those undertaking business with Guyana”.
The Commonwealth Secretariat, through the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC), has provided specific technical assistance since 2012 to develop the new rules. These replace the current rules, which date back to 1955.
Mark Guthrie, Legal Adviser at the Secretariat said: “The importance of the new CPR cannot be understated. It constitutes a reform which was undertaken in 2000 in England and Wales and subsequently in other parts of the Commonwealth. In the Caribbean, Barbados, Jamaica, the Eastern Caribbean jurisdictions and Trinidad and Tobago have introduced similar rules.”
The new CPR will promote the rule of law by providing for civil justice, which has a clear procedure and is expeditious. The rules also underline the connection between the rule of law and economic development and will establish a procedure which enables the court to deal with cases justly.
