Nandlall corrects misinformation on 2024 extradition proceedings against suspected drug trafficker

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall has set the record straight on what he described as misinformation surrounding the 2024 extradition proceedings involving businessman Vitesh Guptar, who was wanted by authorities in Italy in connection with a drug trafficking investigation.

The issue was raised by US-indicted businessman Azruddin Mohamed, who, along with his father Nazar Mohamed, is currently contesting an extradition request from the United States to face charges including wire fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering. Mohamed referenced the Guptar matter in an apparent attempt to cast doubt on the handling of his own case before the local courts.

Mohamed claimed that Guptar, who had been listed on Interpol’s Red Notice since 2019, successfully resisted an extradition request sent to Guyana in 2024. Mohamed has alleged that Guptar’s release was due to political alignment with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration—an assertion Nandlall has dismissed as “wild, reckless, unsubstantiated and dangerous”.

During his programme “Issues in the News” on Tuesday evening, Nandlall made it clear that Gupta is not connected to the Guyana Government, as he detailed how the case was handled by local authorities.

“The Red Notice came to the Commissioner of Police of Guyana on the 6th of February, 2024 to locate and arrest Gupta as he was in Guyana pending an extradition request from the Government of Italy. The Red Notice came, Gupta was arrested by the police and taken before a magistrate. On the 19th of March, 2024, Gupta appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty in Court Five of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and was remanded to prison until the 28th of March pending the receipt of the extradition request from Italy. He was remanded, they didn’t get the extradition request yet, but the magistrate remanded him on a Red Notice arrest only. Compare that to the Mohameds,” Nandlall outlined.

In the Mohameds case, when they were brought before the court on the US extradition request, they were each granted bail in the sum of $150,000.

“Serious international financial crimes yet they were granted bail and Gupta was remanded by the magistrate,” Nandlall contended.

The Attorney General further highlighted that Gupta remained on remand for several months until the matter was called up again on April 26, 2024.

“So, the Government of Guyana received the Authority to Proceed, they received the extradition bundle and in compliance with the law, with our treaty obligations, they took it to the magistrate’s court. On the 2nd of May, 2024, the matter was called again before McGusty and the documents were tendered into evidence. There was an application for bail and bail was eventually granted in the sum of $2 million. So, this man spent from March to May on remand and he was eventually granted $2 million bail. The Mohameds were not even remanded, period, and they were granted $150,000 bail on the very day that they were brought before the magistrate.”

In Gupta’s case, Nandlall said the extradition hearing begun on May 23, 2024 and last until October 28, 2024. “On the 28th of October, 2024, the magistrate heard arguments from all sides and made a finding that there was not enough evidence to extradite Gupta. The magistrate made that finding…and discharged Gupta,” he noted.

He further explained that the police legal advisor, who was appearing for the requesting State, subsequently got information from the Italian authorities that they were no longer pursuing the extradition request because Gupta was cooperating with the law enforcement agencies.

“In other words, he struck some type of deal with the law enforcement people in Italy. Those are the facts as they are documented in the public record of the Guyana Police Force. This has nothing to do with Government of Guyana…How is it that this implicates the government in some conspiratorial enterprise with this man, Gupta?” Nandlall contended.