Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, says the High Court has awarded him $37 million in damages and $500,000 in costs in his defamation action against United States-based social media activist Melissa “Melly Mel” Atwell.
Announcing the judgment during his programme on Tuesday evening, Nandlall said the case stemmed from a series of posts Atwell made in November 2024, which he described as “inaccurate, false, libellous, and scandalous,” alleging criminal conduct including theft.
“Recently, the proceedings before the High Court of Guyana against Melissa Atwell, filed by me, were concluded. And a High Court judge awarded damages in my favour to the tune of 37 million Guyana dollars and costs in the sum of 500,000 Guyana dollars,” Nandlall stated.
The Attorney General also outlined plans to enforce the judgment in the United States, rejecting public assertions that Guyanese court orders are ineffective outside the country.
“She will soon learn that these judgments are not as impotent as she thinks they are. In due course, this judgment will be transmitted to my team of lawyers in the United States of America with firm instructions that the judgment be registered and enforced,” he said, adding that any assets or funds identified there could be targeted.
Nandlall recounted that after he filed proceedings and made them public, Atwell “continued to libel” him. He emphasised that physical presence in Guyana is not required to be sued or for a judgment to be granted, describing contrary claims as “ignorant of the law.”
“The law may be slow, but the law is not unjust… Guyana is part of the modern world, and there is no legal system in the modern world that is so incapable that it cannot protect the rights and freedoms of the people who live in that society,” he asserted.
While indicating that further litigation could follow if defamatory statements persist, Nandlall said his primary purpose is to uphold the rule of law and demonstrate that Guyana’s judgments are enforceable internationally.
He did not disclose a timeline for the US registration process but said American counsel would be instructed to proceed “very shortly.”
