The APNU+AFC government will soon be moving to Parliament with a bill to widen the definition of a coroner.
The Coroners (Amend-ment) Bill 2015 which has been gazetted will seek to cater for circumstances where magistrates are unable to conveniently or speedily serve as coroners.
At present, the magistrate of a magisterial district where an unnatural death occurs serves as the coroner. The explanatory memorandum of the bill says that where the magistrate is unable to act, the nearest justice of the peace who is able to act will serve as the coroner.
According to the explanatory memorandum, the amendment provides for the Judicial Service Commission to appoint fit and proper persons to be coroners for the whole of Guyana.
The bill, if passed, will see the insertion in the Principal Act of section 3A which says in part that in the County of Demerara there shall be at least three coroners, two in the County of Berbice and at least one in the County of Essequibo.
The section further says that every person appointed as a coroner under the section shall take and subscribe the oath of office taken by a magistrate with whatever modifications are necessary.
A coroner appointed under the section shall also have the powers, privileges, rights and jurisdiction of a magistrate and justice of the peace as are necessary for the performance of his duties.
Over the years there have been complaints about the length of times its takes for coroner’s inquests to be completed given the workloads of magistrates.
