Guyana pursuing forfeiture of assets that are proceeds of crime – Nandlall tells int’l anti-corruption forum

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall has posited that the Guyana Government is pursuing the seizure of assets that are the proceeds of criminal activities, as part of its efforts to clamp down on corruption.

He made the remarks during the Eleventh Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, December 15 -1 9, 2025, Doha, Qatar.

“In line with recommendations emanating from the United Nations Convention against Corruption, Guyana has already begun to place great emphasis on the detention and forfeiture of assets that are the proceeds of crime or whose acquisition are tainted by illicit activities. We are firmly of the view that hitting the asset-base of the criminals will be an effective weapon against organised crime,” Nandlall told the gathering.

The 2025 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) Volume II report, released earlier this year, had outlined that “to strengthen its AML regime, Guyana should fully implement existing laws, including pursuing asset forfeiture in full compliance with the law”.

In June, High Court Judge Justice Peter Hugh had ordered the forfeiture of $10 million from businessman Naitram Outar, also known as ‘Sweetman’, for his involvement in fraud, bribery, and money laundering.

Meanwhile, at the Doha forum, Nandlall noted that in recent years, Guyana has enhanced relations with regional and international partners on mutual assistance on criminal matters, as well as, extradition, as part of its battle against cross-border crimes.

“As I speak, Guyana has acceded to an extradition request from the Government of the United States of America to surrender two fugitive offenders, one of whom is a member of Parliament, indicted in a 50 million US dollars gold smuggling and money laundering international conspiracy,” he revealed, referring to US-indicted businessmen Azruddin and Nazar Mohamed.

The Attorney General further emphasised that Guyana’s demonstrable commitment to combat corruption is reflected in the country being a member of every leading global and regional organisation whose mandate aligns with anti-corruption pursuits.

“These include but are not limited to, the UNODC, the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, theCaribbean Financial Action Task Force, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, the Commonwealth Caribbean Association of Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies and the Egmont Group,” he noted.

Nandlall highlighted too that Guyana submits to regular reviews by international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF whose assessments have repeatedly recognised the continuous progress made by the government in improving Guyana’s anti-corruption credentials.

He explained that Guyana’s legislative and constitutional framework enshrine a robust regime of checks and balances which extracts from government, public officers and state agencies a high level of accountability, transparency and adherence to the rule of law, in the discharge of their functions.

“These include, an independent auditor general’s office that audits the expenditure of public funds annually and presenting its report to Parliament; a statutory framework governing the receipt and expenditure of revenues generated from the petroleum sector with heavy broad based administrative and parliamentary oversight; a public procurement process with oversights that presides over the award of contracts funded by public funds; an independent judiciary and a free and critical press – all of which aggregate to form part of Guyana’s anti-corruption architecture,” Nandlall said.

He also reminded of the government’s commitment to establish an anti-corruption unit to augment Guyana’s “war against corruption”.