–reiterates AFC leader’s remarks prove he is unfit for role in government

ATTORNEY -General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, SC, has strongly rebuked Leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes for making what he described as “reckless, irresponsible, and inflammatory” statements concerning the fatal shootings of two young men in Linden.

The recent deaths of 21-year-old Ronaldo Peters and 32-year-old Keon Fogenay, also known as “Dan”, allegedly at the hands of the police, have sparked widespread public outrage and protests in the mining town.

Nandlall said Hughes’ comments directly undermine the credibility of the independent investigations into the killings, and threaten to erode public trust in lawful institutions.
Speaking on Tuesday last during his weekly programme, Issues in the News, Nandlall reminded the public that President Dr. Irfaan Ali had personally intervened in the matters.
He also reminded his audience that the Head of State has assured the victims’ families and the wider nation that a transparent, professional probe would be conducted, with justice pursued against anyone found culpable.

The AFC leader had urged citizens to distrust both the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Regional Security System (RSS), the regional body assisting GPF’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) in the investigation.

Hughes, instead, called for international forensic experts to be brought in, a move AG Nandlall sharply criticised as an attempt to discredit credible institutions. In response to Hughes’ criticisms, the Attorney-General clarified that proper legal procedures were followed in the investigations, emphasising the constitutional structure that governs such matters.
He explained that following the RSS and OPR’s probe of Peters’ case, “The file didn’t come to the Attorney-General’s Chambers or the Office of the Commissioner of Police. It went to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

“That is how it is done in a Constitutional structure like Guyana. There are 55 countries in the world, part of the Commonwealth, that have a system similar to ours,” Nandlall noted.
He stated that a similar process will be followed in Fogenay’s case.

“Nigel Hughes is a lawyer; he knows all of this. Yet, he is quoted in the press as making the most reckless, irresponsible, and inflammatory statements,” Nandlall stressed.
The Senior Counsel emphasised that Hughes has consistently shown a proclivity for publishing such statements.

“He is telling the country to disregard the law enforcement agency of Guyana. He is telling the country to disregard the RSS, the regional law enforcement agency’; a Caribbean mechanism,” he said.

“On what basis is he making such a conclusion? Who does he propose should conduct the investigation instead? the AG questioned.
The probe into Peters’ killing has since concluded, with the DPP advising that Police Sergeant Philbert Kendall be charged for the capital offence of murder.
Sergeant Kendall was brought before a magistrate on Friday last and subsequently remanded to prison until May 9, 2025.

The RSS continues to investigate the shooting death of Fogenay. Nandlall also highlighted Hughes’ controversial past, recalling the 2012 Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the fatal shootings at Linden.

He reminded the public that Hughes had brought in a foreign forensic expert, whose testimony ultimately supported the findings of the Guyana Police Force.
“Hughes was very embarrassed. He walked out of the Commission of Inquiry,” Nandlall recalled.

“Now, he’s repeating the same reckless behaviour,” he highlighted. In response to Hughes’ calls for immediate financial compensation for Peters’ and Fogenay’s families, the AG emphasised that while the government is open to the idea of compensation, the proper investigative process must be completed first.

“The government is not ruling out any form of compensation, but things have to be done in a proper way; in an orderly way. You must have an investigation; there must be some findings, and then certain eventualities will flow. A government has to act on empirical evidence and recommendations that are studied and produced from an investigation,” he explained.

In closing, the Attorney-General cautioned that Hughes’ rhetoric and behaviour demonstrate a troubling disregard for the qualities expected of national leaders.
“Every time this guy speaks, and everything he demonstrates, without a shadow of a doubt, shows that he cannot be anywhere close to government,” Nandlall said.

Peters was reportedly shot while fleeing from police officers. The incident occurred on April 7, 2025, in the mining town, where Sergeant Kendall, then in plainclothes, pursued Peters, who was wanted for questioning in relation to a child rape investigation. Fogenay was killed the following day during protests sparked by Peters’ killing.