Staffers at the Ministry of Legal Affairs and the Attorney General’s Chambers were greeted this afternoon with a wheelbarrow of coins and another with small paper denominations of Guyanese currency.
The money is believed to be part of, or the full sum of $4.5M delivered by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed.
Mohamed had to pay court-ordered costs to the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall and the Minister of Home Affairs, Oneidge Walrond.
The development has triggered legal scrutiny, with attention turning to the Bank of Guyana Act, which outlines what is considered valid legal tender. While banknotes can be used without limit, the law places strict caps on the use of coins for settling debts, Nandlall said.
Nandlall addressed the matter, indicating that the payment method used was not in keeping with the law.
“He will have to return the barrow of coins that he has brought – He will have to take it away. And I hope that as he barrowed coming in and that went live, that when he’s barrowing coming in, that that goes live as well. So this little circus and this little attempt at ridicule has really backfired against him, ” said Nandlall.
The Bank of Guyana Act, specifically Section 21, establishes that the Bank of Guyana has exclusive authority to issue currency in Guyana and defines what qualifies as legal tender. It states that banknotes are unlimited legal tender and must be accepted for any amount in settling debts, while coins are only legally acceptable up to fixed limits depending on their denomination—namely $100 for $1 coins, $250 for $5 coins, and $500 for $10 coins.
