Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Judge, Jacob Wit today took a swipe at the slow pace at which election petitions are being dealt with in Guyana.

Admitting that the issue is not confined to Guyana, Justice Wit said the system here seems to be more comfortable punishing litigants for a few days of late service but has not shown the same urgency to hear the substantive matter contained in the petitions.

“So the system is very eager to punish, let’s say a few days delay in service because that is what we are talking about. But then we are now two years after that election, that one petition that was allowed to continue is still somewhere, and Guyana is not the only country where this happens,” Justice Wit said.

He said elections petition cases are of importance and should be dealt with quickly.

“It would seem, that when I read these cases they take an awfully long time, so what about the urgency to deal with these things quickly, we all understand why these things are necessary, but in practice, there doesn’t seem to be that urgency,” Justice Wit noted.

In response, Attorney General Anil Nandlall said the executive has no control over the judiciary and therefore he could not say what is accounting for the delay to hear and determine the elections petition.

“Your honour you are possibly far better places than I am, to speak to the alacrity to which the judiciary must work. We are prepared every day and night to go to court and perhaps the pinnacle court should help us move the process along, but that is beyond the realm of the executive,” the Attorney General posited.

The APNU+AFC coalition filed two election petitions following the March 2020 General and Regional Elections.

One of the petitions was dismissed for late service and it is that case that is before the CCJ.

Today, the Court began hearing arguments as to whether the Chief Justice was right to dismiss the case for late service and whether a ruling of the Court of Appeal to entertain an appeal on the CJ’s ruling was constitutional.

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