Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, says the Government will advance a package of major legislative reforms in 2026 aimed at modernising Guyana’s legal environment, strengthening financial safeguards and improving consistency in sentencing.
Speaking on his weekly programme “Issues in the News,” Nandlall signalled that the coming year will bring a new Evidence Act, amendments to the Companies Act, a long-awaited trust law, and updated cybercrime legislation aligned with a United Nations model framework.
At the centre of the reform agenda is the Evidence Act, which Nandlall described as severely outdated, noting that Guyana still relies on a UK law dating back to the 19th century.
“The current Evidence Act of Guyana is the 1893 Evidence Act of the United Kingdom,” he said, repeating the point for emphasis as he argued the country’s evidentiary rules must catch up with modern realities.
“Nothing that was relevant in 1893 can be relevant now… We are now living in an ICT world. We are moving into digitisation. We store records differently. And a modern Evidence Act must embrace this new reality,” the Attorney General told viewers.
Nandlall said evidence, whether in courts, tribunals or administrative processes, depends on how information is created, stored and presented, and those systems have changed radically over recent decades. As a result, he said, the law must be updated to reflect digital records and contemporary methods of proof.
He explained that the government is not seeking to draft from scratch, but instead intends to adopt an international model already widely used.
“We are using the Australian model. The bill is in draft, and it will be considered by cabinet and then taken for discussion in the public domain,” Nandlall said, adding that several Caribbean countries have already enacted similar legislation.
The Attorney General also pointed to planned updates to Guyana’s Companies Act, which he described as “a very good piece of legislation” but now dated by the pace of change in global finance and commerce.
“Our Companies Act… is now 30 years old. It was enacted in 1995,” he said, arguing that shifts in the financial world over the last three decades require amendments that reflect emerging concepts in corporate regulation and governance.
“Consultation has already begun with the legal profession, the accounting profession, as well as the private sector,” he said, noting that further engagement is expected after Cabinet reviews proposed amendments.
Another major reform earmarked for 2026 is a trust bill, which Nandlall said is urgently needed because Guyana currently has no dedicated trust legislation.
“In Guyana, we don’t have a trust act,” he said, describing trusts as a fundamental tool of law and equity used for personal planning, commercial arrangements and other mechanisms created by operation of law.
He noted that jurisdictions considered financial centres, such as parts of the Eastern Caribbean, as well as the Cayman Islands and Bahamas, often rely heavily on trust frameworks. With Guyana’s economy expanding and the financial sector becoming more sophisticated, Nandlall said similar mechanisms are necessary locally as well.
He also cited international scrutiny of Guyana’s legal architecture, saying the absence of a trust law has been flagged as a serious weakness.
“The Financial Action Task Force has already identified the lack of a trust law in Guyana as a critical deficiency, and we have to fill that deficiency very early,” he said.
On the digital front, Nandlall said updates to cybercrime laws are also on the 2026 agenda, with the Government looking to implement a United Nations-endorsed international model of cyber legislation.
He told viewers that Guyana contributed to aspects of the framework during UN discussions and intends to move toward adoption next year.
“During the year 2026, we will be adopting that model… and in 2026, we will be moving to implement that piece of legislation,” he said.
Linking the planned reforms to the administration’s broader governance agenda, Nandlall said the initiatives support the President’s stated goal of a modern legal sector that ensures quality protection, upholds the rule of law and strengthens access to justice.
