Nandlall blasts Hughes for not cooperating with police on alleged plot to instigate violence

Attorney General Anil Nandlall on Tuesday evening criticised Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) Nigel Hughes for his refusal to share information with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on an alleged plot to instigate violence against citizens.

Hughes on Sunday posted to social media that there “are plans by certain individuals and organisations to disrupt the funeral proceedings and instigate violence, with the intent of blaming innocent mourners”. He was at the time referring to a planned funeral for 11-year-old Adriana Younge whose body was found in a pool at the now-gutted Double Day Hotel, Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) on April 24.

However, when contacted by the police for information on the planners of such unrest, Hughes refused to cooperate, claiming he needed to protect his sources.

Hughes also told the police that “the whistleblowers legislation is not in place and therefore, he cannot disclose the source of his information.”

“Whatever individual right to privacy of information that one may possess would now, in this situation now must become subservient to the public interest because national security is at stake,” the AG questioned during his programme “Issues in the News.”

“Can you imagine a man has information, a citizen has information of a national security matter, information that can preserve peace and public order, information that can prevent public disorder and that citizen prefers to protect that source rather than the public good…or rather than the lives of thousands of Guyanese who can be threatened or put in jeopardy,” Nandlall further pointed out.

According to the Attorney General, every citizen has “a common law duty” to assist the police in their investigations.

The funeral for Adriana Younge, which was scheduled for Monday, May 5, was eventually postponed.

Nevertheless, Nandlall likened Hughes’ response to utterances earlier this year where the AFC Leader said he will not give up his contract with ExxonMobil unless he wins the General and Regional Elections which he will likely contest later this year.

This, Nandlall said, shows Hughes’ repeated instances of putting personal interest before the people.