Guyana Judge Visa Review: Attorney General Denies Any Government Role on 23 September 2026
GUYANA · COURTS
Key Facts
- —The country. Guyana is an English-speaking country of about 840,000 people on the north-east coast of South America. President Irfaan Ali has governed since August 2020 and began a second term in September 2025.
- —The money. The currency is the Guyanese dollar, near 209.7 to the US dollar. The country runs the fastest-growing economy per head in the world on offshore oil, which is why its courts and contracts now draw outside attention.
- —The background. Justice Gino Persaud of the High Court ruled against the Guyana Revenue Authority, the national tax and customs agency. It could not reassess import duties once the assessments had been prepared.
- —The news. Around 19 and 20 September 2026, Persaud was stopped from boarding a flight to a judicial conference in Jamaica. His United States visa had been placed under review.
- —What is new or disputed. The businessman Nazar Mohamed alleged a political hand behind the review. Attorney General Anil Nandlall called that “absolute nonsense” on 23 September 2026.
- —What it means for you. Court reliability shapes contracts, property and tax disputes in Guyana. Justice Abel has said the case raises questions about the independence of the judiciary.
- —The caveat. The United States Embassy has published no explanation. No document links any government to the review, and no motive is established.
A Guyana judge visa review has stopped Justice Gino Persaud from travelling, and the Attorney General denies that the government had any part in it.
A High Court judge could not board his flight
Justice Gino Persaud of Guyana’s High Court was stopped from boarding a flight around 19 and 20 September 2026. The High Court is the country’s main trial court for serious civil and criminal cases. He was travelling to a judicial conference in Jamaica.
The route ran through the United States. His United States visa had been placed under review. A visa under review is not a visa that has been cancelled. It means the holder cannot travel on it while officials re-examine it.
The United States Embassy in Georgetown has not publicly explained the review. No reason has been given for it. The Guyanese government has said it will ask for one.
That silence shapes how the story should be read. No evidence has been published about why the review began. Any account of the motive is speculation at this stage.
Justice Persaud has issued no detailed public statement, on the reporting available so far. The confirmed record is short. There was a review, a missed flight and a conference he did not attend.
The ruling that put the judge in the news
Justice Persaud had recently ruled against the Guyana Revenue Authority, the national tax and customs agency. He held that the authority could not reassess import duties after the assessments had been prepared.
The goods at issue included a Lamborghini. The car was allegedly bought for US$680,000 and declared to customs at US$75,300. The gap between those two figures is the heart of the dispute.
The vehicle is linked to tax-evasion charges brought against the Mohamed family in a United States federal court. Those charges are separate from the Guyanese case. They have not been decided.
Guyana’s government had criticised the ruling in public. The visa review followed soon afterwards. That sequence is why the timing drew attention. No published document connects the two events.
The Guyana Revenue Authority collects the country’s taxes and import duties. A ruling that limits when it may reopen an assessment has broad reach. Importers across the country rely on a completed assessment staying closed.
The allegation, and the denial
The claim that the government had a hand in the review came from Nazar “Shell” Mohamed. He is a businessman and the father of Azruddin Mohamed. On 21 September 2026 he separately said that he does not know Justice Persaud.
Mohabir Anil Nandlall, Guyana’s Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, answered on 23 September 2026. An attorney general is a government’s chief legal adviser. He called the suggestion “absolute nonsense, not even worthy of a response”.
Nandlall said the government, including the President, the Vice President and himself, has “absolutely no influence whatsoever” over United States foreign policy. That is the government’s account of the matter. It has not been independently tested.
Both the allegation and the denial are claims. Neither side has produced documents. The confirmed facts are narrow: the review exists, the judge missed his flight, and no official explanation has been given.
The allegation reached the public through Guyanese media on 21 September 2026. The denial followed two days later. Neither came with evidence that a reader can check.
Why one visa review reaches past one judge
The wider question is judicial independence. That is the principle that judges decide cases without pressure from governments, at home or abroad. Justice Abel has said publicly that this visa matter raises questions about the independence of Guyana’s judiciary.
Judges in the Caribbean travel often. Regional conferences, appellate sittings and training depend on air routes that pass through the United States. A visa problem can quietly remove a judge from that circuit.
For people who live, invest or hold contracts in Guyana, the stake is confidence in the courts. Commercial disputes, property titles and tax assessments reach the same High Court. A judiciary seen as exposed to outside pressure is harder to rely on.
Nothing published so far shows that any government influenced the decision. The review may end quietly and without comment. Until the Embassy or the government explains it, the case stands as an open question about who can reach a judge, and how.
Two developments would change the picture. One is an explanation from the United States Embassy in Georgetown. The other is a formal statement from Guyana’s judiciary about how it reads the episode.
Sources
- Demerara Waves, Nandlall on the visa review
- Demerara Waves, Justice Abel on judicial independence
- Kaieteur News, Mohamed alleges a political hand
- Guyana Chronicle, judge reportedly unable to travel
- News Source Guyana, explanation to be sought
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a visa under review mean?
It means the United States is re-examining a visa it has already issued. The holder normally cannot travel on it while that runs. It is not the same as a cancellation, and no outcome has been announced here.
Did Guyana’s government have the judge’s visa reviewed?
No evidence has been published that it did. Attorney General Anil Nandlall denied any role on 23 September 2026 and called the suggestion “absolute nonsense”. The allegation came from the businessman Nazar Mohamed.
Why is a Lamborghini part of this story?
Justice Persaud ruled that the Guyana Revenue Authority could not reassess import duties once prepared. The goods included a car allegedly bought for US$680,000 and declared at US$75,300. Related tax-evasion charges against the Mohameds sit in a United States federal court.
Why should people outside Guyana follow this?
Judicial independence decides how far courts can be trusted in commercial and tax disputes. Justice Abel has said this case raises that question. Residents and investors depend on the same High Court.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
Read More from The Rio Times