HGP Nightly News – Criminals will not be allowed to serve their sentences and then return to enjoy wealth generated through illegal activity, Attorney General Anil Nandlall has warned, as Guyana prepares a more aggressive campaign to confiscate suspected proceeds of crime.
Nandlall said the State is shifting its focus from temporarily freezing assets to seeking their permanent forfeiture through the courts.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, he said closer cooperation among key State agencies had already produced “tremendous successes” in tracing and securing assets allegedly connected to organised criminal networks.
The effort involves the Director of Public Prosecutions, Attorney General’s Chambers, Special Organised Crime Unit, Guyana Police Force, Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit and Guyana Revenue Authority.
Nandlall pointed to bank accounts frozen under court orders and the detention of large quantities of gold and other precious metals as evidence that the coordinated approach is working.
“You would have read in the newspapers how many accounts we have frozen recently, how many large quantities of gold and other precious metals we have detained through court orders using the legislation,” he said.
Freezing an account or detaining property prevents it from being transferred, concealed or disposed of while an investigation or legal proceeding continues. Forfeiture goes further, allowing the State—once the required legal threshold is met—to take permanent possession of assets proven to be connected to criminal activity.
“The emphasis now going forward is on forfeiture,” Nandlall said. “It is to seize proceeds of crime.”
Authorities will also pursue outstanding fines imposed after criminal convictions, he added. Properties believed to have been purchased with illegally obtained money will face similar scrutiny.
“We are now going to pursue the fines, and we are going to seize, using the law, properties that evidence suggests are the proceeds of crime or acquired through criminal means,” the Attorney General said.
The approach represents a broader change in how Guyana confronts organised crime. Arresting suspected offenders may interrupt an operation, but leaving its money and assets untouched can allow the network—or those who benefit from it—to continue functioning.
Taking away the profit strikes closer to the reason many organised crimes are committed in the first place.
The State will still have to prove its case. Suspicion alone is not enough to establish that a bank account, shipment of gold, house or other property was obtained through crime. Authorities must produce evidence, follow the required legal procedures and secure court approval. Affected parties also have the right to challenge forfeiture applications.
Nandlall said the recent freezing and detention orders demonstrate that the available legislation is already being used. The next stage will test whether investigators and prosecutors can convert those temporary restrictions into permanent confiscation orders.
The message from the Attorney General was clear: prosecution will no longer be treated as the end of the process. The State intends to pursue the money as well.
