GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, Monday warned newly elected Opposition Leader, Azruddin Mohamed, that he could be sent to the Privileges Committee over “vile” statements he made targeting Nadir.
Nadir told legislators that even in the absence of a formal sitting, he has been the subject of these “vile” comments by Mohamed, whom he earlier congratulated on his election.
Nadir said that while the 65 members of the National Assembly are allowed to criticise the Speaker, they must do so by way of a motion.
“A lot has been said in and out of us being in a formal sitting, and especially vile comments emanating from our duly elected Leader of the Opposition, talking about the corruption of the Speaker.
“Anyone wanting to criticise the Speaker can do so via a motion in the House. And so, while I have thick skin and my 45 years in public life have tempered me well, I am averse to acting firmly. So, those comments leveled at me by the Leader of the Opposition are still among the items which could go to a Privileges Committee,” Nadir told the sitting ahead of the budget presentation by Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh.
He told legislators that they must acquaint themselves with the Constitution, the Standing Orders, and the Handbook for MPs, and act accordingly.
Mohamed had repeatedly criticised the Speaker for failing to convene a meeting of opposition legislators to elect the Opposition Leader following the September 1 regional and general election.
When he announced last week that the meeting to elect the opposition leader, Nadir, would be held in a broadcast on the state-owned media, he said, “If opposition members of parliament feel it morally right to elect an international fugitive, then the stain on our parliament and our country rests solely with them.”
The ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had publicly said that it is opposed to Mohamed’s election because he is wanted in the United States on fraud and other related charges.
“It is an indictment on our country, an indictment on the English-speaking Caribbean, for a US-sanctioned person, a fugitive offender, a person indicted by a jury in the United States of America for several international financial crimes, and whose extradition is being sought, to become the Leader of the Opposition of our country possibly,” Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall said.
Nandlall, such a development would also be an indictment on Guyana’s parliamentary system, the Constitution, and potentially the wider Commonwealth, adding, “we are making history for all the wrong reasons”.
Mohammed, along with his billionaire businessman father, Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohamed, was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for allegedly smuggling more than 10,000 kilogrammes of gold worth more than US$50 million and, in the process, failing to pay the relevant taxes to the Guyana government.
Last October, a US Federal Grand Jury unsealed an 11-count indictment on the Mohameds for alleged wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering. Subsequently, the US requested his extradition to face trial for those alleged crimes.
Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman has set February 5 for the continuation of extradition committal hearings. The Mohameds are also challenging the validity of the extradition request in two separate civil cases in the High Court.
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