AG Nandlall: Azruddin’s political persecution claims unfounded; INTERPOL dropped extradition request for Guptar

Attorney General Anil Nandlall

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, has rejected claims of political persecution leveled against the government by Member of Parliament and leader of the We Invest In Nationhood (WIIN) party, Azruddin Mohamed.
Mohamed, who is fighting extradition to the United States on charges relating to money laundering, has accused the government of double standards, claiming that efforts placed into his extradition were not extended to Vitesh Guptar, an affiliate of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Administration, whom they failed to hand over to the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) following an extradition request on allegations of drug smuggling.
Speaking on his Issues in the News podcast Tuesday, Nandlall clarified that there is no connection between Guptar and the PPP administration.

“Vitesh Guptar is unknown to the government, is unconnected to the government and has not affinity with the Government of Guyana,” Nandlall stated.
He explained that a red notice was received from INTERPOL by the Commissioner of Police on 6 February 2024, ahead of the extradition request. This led to the arrest and detention of Guptar after he appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
“So this man spent from March to May (2024) on remand and he was eventually granted $2M bail.” The Mohameds, whose extradition request has already been received, spent not one day on remand and were granted $150,000 bail, the AG stated.
He clarified further that it was Magistrate McGusty who dismissed the extradition case against Guptar for insufficient evidence. Additionally, Nandlall highlighted that the extradition request was withdrawn by INTERPOL after it was revealed that Guptar was cooperating with Italian authorities, effectively bringing his matter in Guyana to a close.