Attorney General Anil Nandlall
- Home
- News
Attorney General Anil Nandlall is yet to receive court documents naming his office and that of the Finance Ministry as respondents in a case challenging the government’s withdrawal of monies from the Natural Resource Fund (NRF).
The NRF holds all revenues generated from the country’s lucrative oil resources.
NRF Investment Committee member Terrence Campbell filed a judicial review application on Thursday afternoon, challenging the government’s management and transparency of the NRF.
Campbell is contesting the transparency and accountability of NRF withdrawals, which he claims amount to approximately US$2.61 billion, or more than half a trillion Guyana dollars, over the past three years.
In response today, Attorney General Nandlall stated that he is yet to be served with the necessary court documents and has only been made aware of the challenge through media reports.
Nandlall told Ignite News that there seems to be a “fashionable trend” where complainants are filing court cases and promoting them in public even before the respondents have been served.
“A new and fashionable trend is developing whereby court proceedings are filed but are not served on the persons or agencies against whom they are filed. But those who file them rush to the media to publicise themselves and the proceedings, which leads me to question whether they really have an interest in justice or whether they are in pursuit of personal acclaim or some peculiar agenda of their own.”
The Attorney General noted that although he is named as a respondent in the NRF matter, he has not yet received the documents and, therefore, cannot give the government’s position on the case.
“So I have not read the (court) papers and will not be able to express an informed opinion,” the State’s Chief Legal Officer stated.
Apart from the AG, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh is also named as a respondent in the matter.
Campbell’s court challenge highlights NRF withdrawals between 2022 and 2025, which he alleges have been used to finance regular government operations instead of the specific purposes mandated by Section 16(2) of the Natural Resource Fund Act 2021.
Campbell’s application claims “serious violations of the Santiago Principles,” which are explicitly incorporated into Guyanese law through Section 4 of the Natural Resource Fund Act.
He argues that these internationally recognised principles establish mandatory standards for the governance and accountability of Sovereign Wealth Funds. However, he alleges that the government’s current practices violate key principles requiring strict accountability, transparency, and responsible investment strategies in managing sovereign wealth funds.
The legal challenge seeks declarations that all withdrawals from the Fund must be exclusively used to finance national development priorities, including green economy initiatives and essential projects directly related to mitigating the effects of major natural disasters.
Campbell is also seeking a court order compelling the Minister of Finance to provide a detailed breakdown of all expenditures from prior withdrawals within 30 days and to establish proper procedures for documenting future withdrawals.
The court document claims that none of the projects listed in the 2025 Public Sector Investment Programme explicitly identify NRF financing, despite the massive withdrawals from the Fund.
Campbell is represented by attorneys Roysdale A. Forde, S.C., and Seenath Jairam, S.C.
