High Court blocks SOCU from seizing books

Law books vendetta

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall filed legal action in the High Court on Tuesday and was granted an order effectively blocking ranks of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) from seizing several law books, which are now the subject of a Police investigation.

The conservatory order was granted by acting Chief Justice Roxane George. It states that the Guyana Police Force has 14 days within which to apply for the order to be varied or set aside.

Nandlall presented documents to support his arguments that the Government had taken over the payment of his personal subscription to the 14 Commonwealth Law Books as a condition of his service.

The incumbent Attorney General, Basil Williams has, however, accused him of stealing the books and had threatened to have him arrested.

After Nandlall filed a lawsuit against Williams for libel and slander, SOCU launched an investigation into the ownership of the law books and has since questioned the Opposition parliamentarian on the matter. SOCU ranks also visited former President Donald Ramotar at the Leader of the Opposition Office to verify if indeed an arrangement was made for the Government to pay for Nandlall’s law books, which he confirmed.

SOCU officers had obtained a warrant to take possession of the law books, but Nandlall disclosed that they were in his possession at one of his premises, and he was unable to access the premises, because the person who had the keys was currently overseas.

Last year, Minister Williams announced that the books were missing, and he subsequently launched an audit after sending home the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Indira Anandjit.

But Nandlall contended that the Minister knew about the whereabouts of the books since 2015 during the transition period from one political administration to another.

Nandlall said the issue of the “missing books” was raised months later, after he had begun criticising Williams’s work.

The former Attorney General claimed the matter reached an explosive stage after he called out Williams over his courtroom outburst and following the legal proceedings he brought against him.

Nandlall, during a press conference following his release from SOCU on Monday, raised concerns regarding SOCU operating outside of its legal mandate to investigate financial crimes.

When questioned, the shadow legal affairs minister said he did not rule out the option of bringing legal proceedings against the entity in this regard.

Meanwhile, Nandlall is being represented by Attorneys-at-Law Mursaline Bacchus, Bibi Shaddick, Odai Ramischand, Priya Manickchand, Adrian Anamayah, Euclin Gomes, Sase Gunraj, Manoj Narayan, CV Satram, L Mark Conway, Sasha S Mahadeo-Narayan, and Rajendra R Jaigobin.