In a sharp critique of the political strategy within the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo accused US-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed of allegedly shielding close family members from legal and financial consequences linked to his political ambitions to divert public attention from his criminal activities sanctioned by US law authorities—while ordinary Guyanese face the risks.
Azruddin Mohamed doesn’t care at all about those connected to him, even though he is a legally sanctioned criminal by the OFAC in the USA. People linked to Azruddin often don’t understand his involvement with him, who is a puppet of Maduro, a cocaine dealer working with Colombian cartels, a money launderer, a gold smuggler, and someone manufacturing false invoices to rob the Guyana Revenue Authority.
Are these people associated with Azruddin aware that he lacks formal education and is a ‘Daddy’s boy’ who received his family’s charity funds to buy votes and has a paid mob going around waving his flag and removing other parties’ flags, including the PPP flag?
During his recent weekly press conference at Freedom House, Dr. Jagdeo voiced concerns about the noticeable absence of Mohamed’s sister, Hana, and brother-in-law, Max Dmitriyev, from WIN’s candidate list. According to Jagdeo, their exclusion appears to be a calculated move to avoid penalties related to US sanctions.
Notice his sister and brother-in-law; they didn’t give up their U.S. citizenship, and they are not on the list. They’re in the media every day, posting all kinds of commentary and cursing everybody under the sun, but they don’t want to run afoul of the U.S. …Poor, unsuspecting people now would face the consequences…” Dr. Jagdeo remarked.
His comments follow recent developments where several local banks have started cutting ties with individuals connected to WIN, citing routine risk assessment protocols. These institutions are reportedly distancing themselves from the party’s candidates to stay compliant with US sanctions against Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed.
Dr. Jagdeo expressed sympathy for the Guyanese citizens who, perhaps unaware of the full extent of the risks, chose to support Mohamed’s political party.
“I feel sad for those people… I’m sorry for those people because they and their families are in trouble, and he would laugh at their misery again,” he stated. “When they supported him, it was different; now they’re part of a formal organization led by a US-sanctioned individual, and the banks have no choice whatsoever, or else they would lose their business with the US,” he added.
The issue stems from sanctions imposed on Mohamed by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). In June 2024, OFAC alleged that Nazar, Azruddin Mohamed, and his company, Mohamed’s Enterprise, engaged in significant financial misconduct, including evading export taxes and misleading the Guyanese government.
Azruddin and Mohamed’s Enterprise evaded Guyana’s tax on gold exports and defrauded the Guyanese government of tax revenues by under-declaring their gold exports to Guyanese authorities. Between 2019 and 2023, Mohamed’s Enterprise omitted more than 10,000 kilograms of gold from import and export declarations and avoided paying over US$50 million in duty taxes to the Government of Guyana,” the OFAC statement read.
Adding international importance to the concerns, US Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot recently voiced serious reservations about Mohamed’s political rise. Her comments underscored that the implications go beyond domestic politics; they affect diplomatic relations and investor confidence.
Yes, we are concerned whenever an OFAC-sanctioned individual might become a government member; it’s problematic in several ways. We need to be cautious if that person is involved. For example, if we were on a specific committee, we would have to be very careful when working with that committee. We must ensure that we didn’t work with him directly,” Ambassador Nicole Theriot explained.
She proceeded to outline the cascading risks to US-Guyana relations and private investment if Mohamed takes on any official role, whether in government or opposition.
“He would still be a member of the government, so that would be a concern for us,” the Ambassador added.
Ambassador Theriot also highlighted how US businesses might react to Mohamed’s political rise, comparing it to other countries where US companies scaled back operations because of sanctioned individuals in power.
When an OFAC-sanctioned individual becomes involved with a government official, it raises concerns in the U.S. private sector. As a result, U.S. companies often reevaluate their relationships in the country. “We’ve seen it in Afghanistan and with companies in other nations… they look to de-risk or even cut ties. And we’re in such a good position right now. All these U.S. companies want to come to Guyana. I don’t want that to change,” she emphasized.
The developing situation has sparked growing debate over Guyana’s future financial and diplomatic status, with political leaders like Dr. Jagdeo warning about the long-term impacts of associating with individuals under international sanctions.
The PPP government’s duty of care is to protect Guyana and its citizens from Mohamed’s criminal activities in the USA and Guyana. We must not allow two insignificant and uneducated individuals to jeopardize the economy and the people of Guyana. We are fully aware that the government of Guyana will safeguard its citizens from these two criminals. Our readers want Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed to be extradited to the USA as quickly as possible.