The Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Roxane George, has directed the Court of Appeal to embark on a backlog reduction exercise to clear over 2,000 appeals and applications that were filed between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 2024.

In a statement today, the Court said it is cognizant of the concern of litigants and Attorneys awaiting the determination of long-standing matters, adding that the roll out of the exercise is reflective of its firm commitment to the timely, fair and transparent administration of justice in the country.

“To facilitate this initiative, the Court of Appeal has been constituted into three panels, each assigned 70 cases, representing a total of 210 cases in the first tranche. Each panel’s allocation comprises 21 civil appeals, 20 criminal appeals and 29 applications for leave to appeal and for extensions of time to appeal,” the Court explained.

It was explained that the hearings in these matters will commence with the civil appeals on February 10.

“The Court of Appeal emphasizes that this exercise will be court-driven, guided by robust case management principles, and that no case will be returned to the court registry without disposition. Therefore, all attorneys-at-law and litigants are expected to be fully prepared to assist the panels so that cases can be concluded,” the Court said.

Notices of hearing, according to the Court, will be sent to the recorded addresses of litigants and attorneys-at-law and will be published in the local newspapers, as well as on the Court’s website.

It was noted that all of the applications for leave to appeal and for extensions of time to appeal were all filed between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2025. “Our records indicate that there are no pending applications filed prior to 2021,” the Court explained, adding further that all applications filed in 2026 will be assigned on a continual basis to allow for timely hearing.

It said to ensure that there is no longer a large backlog of cases, the appeal panels will also be assigned more recently filed appeals.

Related posts:

Bar Association President urges review of rules and laws hampering Court of Appeal’s work Court of Appeal dismisses Vice President’s request for appeal in defamation case Court of Appeal to move ahead with early hearing of Election petition case Nandlall maintains Court of Appeal is “wrong Court” for David vs GECOM election matter