Guyana Attorney General Denies Involvement In Sexual Abuse Scandal

GEORGETOWN, Guyana CMC – Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, has distanced himself from any allegations linking the Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, to a sexual abuse scandal here. 

“I wish to, absolutely and categorically, deny any involvement in, or connection with, either directly or indirectly, the said sexual assault fiasco,” Nandall said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Trotman obtained an ex-parte injunction preventing a 22-year-old man from publishing any material relating to allegations that he was molested by the Speaker nearly a decade ago.

Trotman, who has already dismissed the allegations as a move “obviously intended to provide a timely distraction from the serious prevailing political situation in Guyana,” said, he will decide next week whether or not to step down from his position as Speaker of the 65-member National Assembly.

“I am a patriot. I love my country. I love the fact that I can serve Guyana as Speaker, but I will do nothing to injure the reputation of the National Assembly and or to interfere or impede the business of the House,” he said.

The minority opposition Alliance For Change (AFC), which has already said it is standing behind its embattled founder, has accused Nandlall of helping to hatch a plot of alleged sexual abuse of a minor against Trotman.

“The AFC has received information that apart from the involvement of the staff, the senior government official was himself directly involved in the falsification of the allegations leveled against Mr. Trotman and the overall scheme to tarnish his reputation,” said AFC’s general secretary, David Patterson.

Patterson said that the Attorney General had directed the 22-year-old man to seek legal representation in his allegations against the Speaker.

But in his statement, Nandall said he was shocked at becoming the “latest casualty in a long list of persons implicated by the Alliance For Change (AFC), in the sexual abuse scandal” and admitted speaking to the embattled Speaker by telephone “long after the allegations….were made public.

“As a result of that conversation, I made certain inquiries of the professional staff at the Attorney -General’s Chambers,” Nandlall said.

Nandlall acknowledged making several inquiries following the phone call but insisted “I did not solicit any information regarding the nature of the discussion which took place, because I formed the opinion that it was of a personal nature.

“It is unfortunate that in their quest to extricate their own from this morass, the AFC is prepared to implicate so many others,” he added.