The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) wants to intensify cooperation with Guyana to secure more convictions in a range of crimes including money-laundering and trafficking of narcotics.
This was disclosed in a statement today by Attorney General Anil Nandlall following a meeting yesterday with a team from the US investigative body.
The AG’s Chambers statement said: “The team raised a number of areas in which they have been cooperating with the Government of Guyana over the years, such as, rendering mutual assistance in criminal matters, extradition, anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism, trafficking of narcotics and firearms, tracing proceeds of organized crime and forfeiture of assets, trafficking in persons and cyber related criminal activities.
“The team wishes to intensify its relationship with the Government of Guyana in the investigation, prosecution, and in securing convictions in these types of offences. The Attorney General signaled the government’s continued commitment to the upholding of the rule of law in all its facets, including the pursuit of all forms of criminality, in particular organized crimes.
“The Attorney General discussed the various policies and training programmes being pursued by the various law enforcement agencies intending to augment the State’s capabilities to investigate, prosecute and convict for criminal conduct, as well as the government’s robust legislative agenda”.
The statement said that the Attorney General emphasized that cyberspace is the new emerging platform for serious criminal offences in Guyana and globally. He pointed to many persons who use social media platforms, in particular in the United States to spew racial hostilities and create ethnic strife among segments of the Guyana population, inciting and aiding and abetting riotous conduct and even domestic terrorism.
The statement said that he informed the team that Guyana has already lodged formal complaints with various important offices and agencies in the United States on this matter, including the FBI and he is using this opportunity to reiterate those reports requesting actions from US authorities against these perpetrators who operate with impunity.
The statement said that Nandlall met with James Markley, FBI Legal Attache; Derek Kreitensteid, FBI’s Assistant Legal Attache and Mayan L. Shih of the US State Department at his Chambers.
The statement said that Markley is the lead officer of the FBI for the Caribbean including 27 countries stretching from Bermuda to Guyana and is based in Bridgetown, Barbados. Kreitensteid is the Assistant Legal Attache and is based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago and Mayan is the Regional Security Officer representing the US State Department in the Caribbean.
