STATEMENT OF THE BAR COUNCIL OF THE BAR ASSOCIATION OF GUYANA ON THE PASSING OF MR. MURSELINE BACCHUS SC

The Bar Council of the Bar Association of Guyana notes with deep regret the passing of Senior Counsel Murseline Bacchus, 83, earlier today.

Mr. Bacchus SC, the pre-eminent lawyer for many years in the ancient county of Berbice, was one of the leading criminal lawyers in Guyana.

He was among the earliest Caribbean-trained law graduates of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS), and was a classmate and lifelong friend of the former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Chief Justice, Ian Chang SC.

Between them, they proved that a Caribbean legal education was, at least, the equivalent of English training, and they set the bar for the generation of Caribbean-trained lawyers who followed them.

Mr. Bacchus was appointed Senior Counsel by President David Granger in January 2020 and was in his fiftieth year of practice as an Attorney-at-Law in Guyana, this year.

The Bar Council expresses its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr Bacchus SC. He leaves to mourn his wife and four children, among whom is his daughter Patricia Bacchus, Attorney-at-Law, and CEO and Chairperson of Caribbean Containers Inc.

May his soul rest in peace.