GUYANA–Guyana to step up efforts to seize proceeds of crime.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Attorney General Anil Nandlall says Guyana is intensifying its fight against organized crime by stepping up efforts to confiscate assets believed to have been acquired through illegal activities, following what he described as major successes in tracing and recovering criminal proceeds.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event on Wednesday, Nandlall said coordinated efforts among the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the Attorney General’s Chambers, the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU), the Guyana Police Force, the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU), and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) have produced significant results.

He pointed to recent court-authorized actions, including the freezing of bank accounts and the seizure of large quantities of gold and other precious metals, as evidence of the government’s strengthened enforcement strategy.

“You would have read in the newspaper how many accounts we have frozen recently, how many large quantities of gold and other precious metals we have detained through court orders using the legislation,” Nandlall said.

He noted that the government’s next priority is forfeiture, ensuring that people convicted of or linked to criminal activity are stripped of the financial gains derived from their offenses.

“The emphasis now going forward is on forfeiture. It is to seize proceeds of crime,” he said.

Nandlall added that authorities will also pursue outstanding fines imposed by the courts and move to confiscate properties where evidence indicates they were obtained through criminal activity.

“We are now going to pursue the fines, and we are going to seize, using the law, properties that evidence suggests are the proceeds of crime or acquired through criminal means or criminal proceeds.”

According to the Attorney General, the strategy reflects a broader shift in Guyana’s crime-fighting approach, focusing not only on prosecuting offenders but also on dismantling the financial foundations of organized criminal networks by depriving them of the proceeds of their illegal activities.