[www.inewsguyana.com] – The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is now sitting in Georgetown, Guyana for the first time and is housed in the conference centre at Liliendaal.
Sittings will be held from Monday to Wednesday while there will be a special sitting of the court in honour of the retirement of Justice Desiree Bernard.
Guyana is the CCJ’s third stop having had sittings in Barbados in April of 2012 and Jamaica and Barbados again in March of 2013.
While here, three matters which originated in Guyana will be heard. The CCJ also facilitated a judicial education workshop for the local judiciary.
The workshop sought to present themes on the improvement of justice delivery and was conducted by CCJ President, Sir Dennis Byron and Justice Adrian Saunders.
The culmination of the court’s visit will be the special sitting in honour of the retirement of Guyanese, Justice Desiree Bernard, on Wednesday at the GICC.
At that time, the full bench of the CCJ will sit, along with Guyana’s acting Chancellor, Justice Carl Singh.
Various members of the local and regional legal fraternity have been invited to attend this event which will be addressed by Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque, and Professor Harold Lutchman of the Regional, Judicial and Legal Services Commission among others.
Justice Bernard is a distinguished Guyanese jurist who was appointed the first female trial judge, appellate court judge, Chief Justice and Chancellor of the Judiciary.
She also has had a distinguished career further afield having served as President of the Organization of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations and founding Secretary of the Caribbean Women’s Association.
Justice Bernard, who joined the regional court from its inception, is the third judge to go into retirement. The other two are Guyanese Duke Pollard and Trinidadian Michael de la Bastide.
