–says this demonstrates Guyana’s willingness to deal with organised crimes

ATTORNEY-GENERAL Anil Nandlall, SC, has revealed that nearly 200 money laundering cases are currently pending before the courts, highlighting the country’s ongoing battle against financial crimes.

“We have a total of 187 cases pending in the criminal justice system in relation to money laundering-type cases,” he said during his weekly programme, ‘Issue in the News’.

Nandlall and representatives from various institutions recently defended Guyana’s favourable ratings the Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) architecture received after a Mutual Evaluation Exercise was completed. Guyana’s Fourth Round Mutual Evaluation Report was adopted at the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) 58th Plenary and Working Group Meetings held from June 2 to 7, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

The assessment is a peer review process where experts from CFATF and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) jurisdictions assess national measures implemented which are designed to prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing, including the forfeiture of criminal instrumentalities and proceeds and assets derived from crime.

According to Nandlall, he had to explain to the Plenary that the government has no influence over how quickly these cases are heard and determined. He, therefore, said that Guyana cannot be blamed for not filing the cases and being eager to prosecute them.

“One can’t fault Guyana for its lack of attempts and its commitment to deal with organised crimes across borders. Hence, we have a menu of amendments to our extradition laws currently pending in the National Assembly. All these things are connected. So, we are also forfeiting assets that are deemed to be the proceeds of crimes or are connected to the conduct of criminal activities,” he explained.
The Attorney General stated that the defendants in the majority of the cases were convicted, and those proceedings resulted in the confiscation of three aircraft, one luxury boat, and a ship, all of which were involved in drug trafficking offences.

He made it clear that anyone who breaches the laws of this country will be subject to the judicial system, and if they break the laws of another country, they will face the repercussions of their actions.

“Of course, they are entitled to due process. They are entitled to all the facilities that the rule of law accords them. And as a government, it is our duty to ensure that Guyanese receive those benefits but they must face the consequences of their actions,” Nandlall stated.

He stressed that the government’s commitment to combating money laundering remains firm.

Over the past year, law enforcement agencies have ramped up their efforts to combat financial crimes, leading to a significant number of arrests and charges. Notably, several high-profile cases have emerged. Among these are allegations involving a family and a policeman.

Last year February, a couple and their son were charged with a combined 268 counts of money laundering, involving $ 4.1 billion. The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) had said that the charges against Kenneth Kellawan Ramnarine, Yevette Nalini Saroop, and their son Damian Brandon Ramnarine came after almost three years of investigations.

A joint charge against the father and son was discharged earlier this year after a city magistrate determined, at the conclusion of a Paper Committal, that there was not sufficient evidence for the Ramnarines to be tried in the High Court.

The trio of Herstelling, East Bank Demerara (EBD) is accused of operating as nominees for some Chinese businesses and also facilitating tax evasion through a family company.

Following a two-year investigation by SOCU, Police Corporal Rawl Haynes was in January 2023 charged with money laundering. Particulars of the first two charges alleged that Haynes, on April 7, 2020, converted $8 million for part payment of properties located at Lots 284 and 285 Block 8 Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), respectively, knowing or having reason to believe that the said sum of money was the proceed of crime, with the aim of concealing or disguising the illicit origin of the cash. The third charge alleged that Haynes on August 22, 2019, converted the sum of $2.9M for payment of a Toyota Allion motor car # PYY 357, under the same circumstances.

Haynes, of Hydronie, EBE, is accused of stealing the monies from the Guyana Police Force (GPF).