HGP Nightly News – Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall has trained his fire not only on Azruddin Mohamed’s expected rise to the post of Leader of the Opposition, but on the opposition MPs who may deliver it, warning that their votes will be “judged” and permanently recorded.
Speaking Tuesday night on his programme Issues in the News, Nandlall said the decision now sits squarely with the non-government side of the National Assembly, and he argued that any member who supports Mohamed’s election must be prepared to own the consequences, politically and historically.
“Those [who] will vote to support him will be judged,” Nandlall said, adding that “history will record whom they supported and the role they played in placing such a person in that high constitutional office.” His remarks come as Mohamed remains the presumptive nominee for the opposition leadership.
Mohamed was sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for allegedly evading more than US$50 million in taxes linked to over 10,000 kilogrammes of gold exports. He has also faced a criminal charge in Guyana over a luxury Lamborghini, which authorities allege was undervalued at US$75,300 instead of its actual price of US$695,000.
Nandlall argued that even if the opposition technically has the numbers to make its choice, that does not shield members from accountability for the decision. He described the possibility of Mohamed being elevated to the country’s top opposition office as “an indictment” on Guyana and the wider English-speaking Caribbean, warning that it could tarnish the country’s parliamentary reputation.
“It is an indictment on our country. And it’s an indictment on the English-speaking Caribbean,” he said, as he characterised Mohamed as an “OFAC-sanctioned person” and a “fugitive offender,” and cautioned that Guyana would be “making history for the wrong reason.” The Attorney General also stressed that the government should not be blamed for an outcome driven by opposition votes.
“I am not oblivious to the fact that he was elected. We didn’t elect him,” he said, making clear that the PPP/C does not support Mohamed’s elevation. He closed by framing the looming vote as a test of political judgment and national standards, insisting that those who cast their ballots in favour of Mohamed will be remembered for it long after the sitting ends.
