More multimillion-dollar asset seizures coming in major crackdown – AG warns

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall has signalled an aggressive expansion of Guyana’s asset recovery drive, waring that more high-profile seizures of wealth linked to criminal activity are on the horizon as the State intensifies its crackdown on illicit finances.

Speaking on his weekly programme, Issues in the News, Nandlall made it clear that the Government was moving decisively toward a modern crime-fighting strategy that targeted not just offenders but their assets.
He disclosed that authorities were already pursuing multiple major forfeiture cases involving hundreds of millions of dollars, stressing that the State would continue to detain, seize, and ultimately forfeit assets believed to be proceeds of crime.
“We are working on a number of high-profile forfeiture proceedings in which hundreds of millions of dollars of assets will be forfeited, detained, seized, and/or forfeited. And you will note that all these monies are tainted monies.” Nandlall said, underscoring that this forms part of the shift of policy towards dismantling criminal enterprises, financially.
The AG pointed to the recent court victories as evidence that the legal framework, particularly the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act, is being effectively deployed.
He highlighted that a ruling by the Full Court of the Hight Court, which upheld earlier orders allowing the State to seize over $14.6 million and US$7844 from convicted drug trafficker Jacqueline Caines. The court affirmed that the funds were proceeds of crime and should be forfeited.
In another significant development, Chief Justice Navindra Singh recently granted detention orders to the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), allowing the authorities to hold over $80.9 million worth of gold and more than $81 million in cash. These assets are linked to businessman Sebastiao De Oliveira Moura and his company, Gago Gold Inc, as part of ongoing criminal proceedings.
Nandlall dismissed arguments circulating in some quarters that the State cannot seize certain categories of funds, including those tied to sanctions, describing such claims as legally unfounded.
“The State will take every single sanction cent when the occasion arises. Don’t worry. Every single sanction cent, everything will happen in its time. We are dealing with one aspect of the legal proceedings. I have said that the arms of the law are long. The processes may be slow, but they are very, very sure. I want to assure you of that,” he asserted, reinforcing that asset forfeiture is a lawful and essential tool in combating organised crime.
He explained that Guyana was working closely with regional and international partners, including law enforcement networks and financial intelligence bodies, to track and recover illicit wealth across borders.
According to Nandall, the focus on asset recovery reflects a global trend where law enforcement agencies aim to cripple criminal operations by removing their financial bases, rather than relying solely on prosecutions.
He noted that legislation such as the AML/CFT Act, alongside provisions in the Narcotics and Custom Laws, provides the State with multiple avenues to pursue confiscation of assets tied to illegal activities.
“These are the proceeds of crime. And courts have found that they are the co-proceeds of crime. And the State is taking it pursuant to the various provisions of our law and depositing it in the Consolidated Fund. That’s what the orders of the court say, deposit it in the Consolidated Fund,” he said, explaining that once forfeited, the funds are deposited into the Consolidated Fund in accordance with court orders.
With several cases already before the courts and others in preparation, Nandlall indicated that the public should expect a steady stream of high-profile seizures in the coming months, as authorities ramp up enforcement.
The Attorney General maintained that while legal processes may take time, they are “sure”, and the State remains committed to ensuring that crime does not pay in Guyana.