WITHIN the legally allowed seven-year period, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) said it moved to reassess the declared value of a 2020 Lamborghini Roadster SVJ imported into the country by United States-sanctioned businessman, Azruddin Mohammed.

This decision, the agency noted, followed the receipt of compelling evidence indicating that the importer falsified the original invoice and significantly understated the vehicle’s value.

According to a statement issued by the GRA on Friday, the importer had signed the “Form C32A – Customs” declaration at the time of importation, affirming that all submitted details were “true and complete.”

The signed form also acknowledged that the GRA retained the legal right to review and reassess the declared values in accordance with the Fifth Schedule of the Customs Act, should additional evidence emerge within seven years.

That provision was activated after the GRA, through the Ministry of Home Affairs, sought assistance under the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, Chapter 15:05, and obtained documents from counterparts in the United States.

On May 14, 2025, U.S. authorities responded, providing the GRA with a copy of the actual invoice for the vehicle and other related documents. The evidence showed that the purchase price  for the Lamborghini was significantly higher than what was declared to customs.

According to the GRA, the significantly undervalued declaration resulted in the non-payment of applicable duties and taxes, a matter now also under scrutiny in the High Court.

The GRA said the documentation corroborates the evidence before the Demerara High Court and confirms that the declaration made at the time of importation was false.

Upon receiving the information, the authority filed a Supplementary Affidavit seeking to admit the new evidence into ongoing Judicial Review proceedings.

However, on May 15, 2025, presiding judge Gino Persaud denied the application, indicating that the reasons for his decision will be delivered in September 2025.

Despite the court’s refusal to admit the evidence into those proceedings, the GRA emphasised that the documents obtained from the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed that the declaration and taxes originally paid were based on a falsified invoice.

Consequently, the agency issued a reassessment of the import transaction and a demand letter for the payment of additional taxes.

Criminal proceedings have also been instituted against the importer under the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01, which deals with fraudulent evasion and false declarations.

Mohamed is accused of falsely declaring the purchase price of a 2020 Lamborghini Roadster SVJ as US$75,300, while the GRA contends the actual value of the high-end vehicle is US$695,000.

The charge, filed under the Customs Act, alleged that Mohamed knowingly made and subscribed to a false declaration to the GRA on or about December 7, 2020.

According to the particulars of another charge, on or about December 7, 2020, at GRA’s Camp Street office, he fraudulently declared the value of the vehicle to be US$75,300 instead of $695, 000, which resulted in taxes in the sum of $383,383,345 being evaded.

The matters are scheduled to be heard before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on May 29, 2025.

The GRA reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the rule of law and ensuring compliance with Guyana’s tax, trade, and border regulations.

“The agency in accordance with its mandate will faithfully continue to administer the laws in an impartial, fair, consistent and equitable manner, thereby ensuring compliance with the Nation’s Tax, Trade and Border laws,” it stated.

In the case before Justice Persaud, the GRA alleged that Mohamed and several of his family members significantly undervalued multiple luxury vehicles during the importation process.

According to the tax agency, this caused the family to pay significantly less in taxes than legally mandated.

As a result, the GRA is seeking a court order requiring the Mohamed family to pay an additional $1.2 billion in taxes on the under-declared luxury vehicles, which include a Toyota Land Cruiser PAB 3000, a Toyota Land Cruiser PAB 4000, a Lamborghini PZZ 4000, and a Ferrari 488 PAD 5000.

The Full Court of Demerara on Monday refused an application by the GRA to overturn an existing injunction. The Bench comprised Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire, SC and High Court Judge Nareshwar Harnanan.

The injunction, granted in April 2025 by Justice Persaud, bars the GRA from seizing the luxury vehicles while the tax evasion case against the family remains pending

The Mohameds are represented by Attorneys-at-Law Siand Dhurjon and Damian Da Silva.

The GRA’s legal team is headed by Senior Counsel Anand Ramlogan, former Senator and Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago, and includes Senior Counsel Robin Stoby, along with attorneys Maritha Halley, Judy Stuart-Adonis, Jason Moore, Fiona Hamilton, Ornise Gordon, and Nicklin Belgrave.

Following the Full Court’s ruling, the vehicles will remain in the Mohameds’ possession pending the outcome of the substantive case before Justice Persaud, who is expected to deliver his decision on September 12, 2025.