Extradition and the State of the Legal Process
At a recent press conference, the Vice President discussed the government’s commitment to fulfilling the PPP manifesto and addressed the high-profile extradition case involving Azruddin Mohammed and Nazar Mohammed. According to Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo , the United States has taken the matter very seriously: the extradition request was signed at the highest levels in Washington, including by the U.S. Secretary of State, Mr. Marco Rubio, and the U.S. Attorney General, Ms. Pam Bondi.
The allegations involve extensive money laundering and crimes related to gold smuggling. Dr. Jagdeo emphasized that, according to U.S. law, the Trump administration is treating Azruddin and Nasser Mohamed’s criminal activities in the USA very seriously.
For money laundering offenses, offenders face lengthy prison sentences that could last decades. It was stated that the paperwork submitted to Guyanese authorities clearly demonstrates the seriousness of the case.
Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and the international community, including the U.S. government, expressed disbelief that a local magistrate in Guyana approved bail in modest amounts (described in the recording as less than US$2,000 total) for Azruddin and Nazar Mohamed, who are accused of a large-scale global money laundering scheme worth over $50 million USD. Legal experts worldwide see the magistrate’s decision as an insult to Guyana’s legal system. The local legal outcome is considered embarrassing within the Guyanese legal community, and international observers are watching with concern.
Press coverage and claims of bias
In Guyana, the fake news media believe that people are listening to their false information. If they think they are, then why did the PPP party win a landslide victory? Most voters showed the local media, which are hostile to the PPP, that they know who has been improving their standard of living over the past five years and will protect their interests for the next five years. Not the fake press, but the PPP government.
Stabroek News considers its publication important and believes the current government should take note of it. The first step for Stabroek, if it wants to be taken seriously, is to increase its daily newspaper sales to at least 5,000 copies in a population of 850,000.
Stabroek News needs to understand that most Guyanese get their news from social media platforms. Nobody pays attention to Stabroek’s opinions anymore.
It is well known that some media personalities do not support an Indo-Guyanese as the country’s leader, and therefore, they often underestimate or misrepresent the government’s efforts and achievements. Stabroek News and Kaieteur News should understand that their influence in Guyana is limited and nearly nonexistent among most of the population. They merely reflect their own distorted views of Guyana, not the opinions of most Guyanese.
The owner of Kaieteur News seems more focused on criticizing Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo’s political achievements and Guyana’s economic progress. Glenn Lall relies on a ghostwriter journalist to write articles attacking the Vice President. Everyone knows that Glenn Lall is neither a journalist nor an expert in the oil and gas industry, and he lacks formal education. No one takes Kaieteur News or Glenn Lall seriously anymore.
Using the Azruddin case as an example, Stabroek News and Kaieteur News focused more on the paid protesters outside the court than on the serious charges related to the money laundering case, in which Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, and Pam Bondi, the Attorney General of the USA, signed the extradition documents.
Our research confirms that the Azruddin team visited North Ruimveldt in Georgetown to pay Afro-Guyanese voters for supporting Azruddin and Nazar Mohamed outside the court, who are accused of money laundering. Azruddin’s supporters were paid to attend. Without payment, no one would attend Azruddin’s court case.
The residents of North Ruimveldt reported the presence of the Azruddin men to their local leaders, Dr. Andrew Debidin and Recardio Blackman. They swiftly responded by arriving in North Ruimveldt and peacefully removing the Azruddin men from the neighborhood, affirming they do not support criminals wanted by the U.S. government.
Six months before the general election, Dr. Debidin, Mr. Blackman, and their local supporters successfully persuaded many undecided voters in North Ruimveldt to back the PPP party. On election day, they cast their ballots for the PPP party.
Opposition parties and electoral fallout
Focusing on party politics, it is fair and accurate to accuse the PNC and AFC of failing to condemn the alleged criminal activity and of trying to gain a tactical advantage by supporting Azruddin’s new party. The PPP and AFC misjudged the situation, suffering significant losses. Instead of dividing Indo-Guyanese support, the move resulted in Azruddin pulling votes from both the Afro-Guyanese PNC and AFC, rather than from the PPP’s voter base. In fact, the PPP increased its vote share in Region 4 and among the Afro-Guyanese, including unexpected areas such as Linden, the PNC’s stronghold, which voted for Azruddin and the PPP. Simultaneously, the Azruddin party, the PNC, and the AFC received no support from Indo-Guyanese voters. Dr. Jagdeo described this as proof that the PNC has become marginalized and that the AFC has effectively lost its relevance in parliament and in the country.
The main point is that the electoral landscape in Guyana has changed, and the attempt to win a minority victory by splitting the PPP vote completely failed, as the PNC and AFC predicted. The PNC is now struggling to maintain its status as a national party, while the AFC is nearly on the verge of extinction.
Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo stated that the PPP government will follow the 2025 manifesto and focus on significant improvements to the quality of life for all Guyanese.