THE mounting concerns from the United States (US) over what could happen to Guyana’s economic prospects and international partnerships if sanctioned presidential hopeful, Azruddin Mohamed gets into parliament, should not be downplayed, according to People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo.

During a news conference on Thursday at Freedom House, Georgetown, the General Secretary, who also serves as Guyana’s Vice-President, highlighted the US Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot’s firm statements that the US Government, particularly the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), views any elevation of Mohamed, the leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, as problematic.

Dr. Jagdeo said: “As usual, Azruddin Mohamed and his trolls and a number of people in their camp, tried to distort what the ambassador said…”

However, he explained that the sanctions are not just visa revocations, but they entail serious implications for not only the Mohameds but the country.

He once again emphasised that the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said that people are prohibited from dealing with sanctioned individuals.

Further explaining the seriousness of the sanctions, the Vice-President highlighted that even American oil giant, ExxonMobil had to pull out of the consortium with the Mohameds because of the sanction regulations.

Dr. Jagdeo said: “Exxon had to leave that consortium because Exxon could not do business with the Mohameds.”

He further pointed out that the way the US views governance includes all arms- legislative, executive and judiciary, and according to Dr. Jagdeo: “If you have a transgression in the judiciary or in the legislature, guess who answers for it, the executive; we have to answer for that.”

He also said: “US companies, based on what is the position of OFAC or the treasury, would have great difficulty in doing business with him (Mohamed) or maybe with Guyana. It’s a statement of fact”.

Speaking candidly with reporters on Wednesday, Ambassador Theriot shared the views of the US Government, particularly the OFAC, concerning Mohamed.

“Yes, we are concerned anytime an OFAC-sanctioned individual has the potential to become a member of government, it’s problematic in multiple ways… We have to be very careful if that person is involved. Let’s say we were on a certain committee; we would have to be very careful in working with that committee. We have to make sure that we didn’t work with him specifically,” Theriot stated.
The Ambassador elaborated that US law strictly limits engagement with individuals under OFAC sanctions, making Mohamed’s potential entry into Parliament, whether in government or opposition, an issue of regulatory and reputational risk for both diplomatic missions and private sector interests.

“He would still be a member of government, so that would be a concern for us,” Theriot said when asked whether Mohamed’s presence in the opposition would still raise alarm.
But the Ambassador did not stop at government engagement.

She raised a more urgent concern, such as the ripple effects on US investment and business confidence in Guyana.

“When you see an OFAC-sanctioned individual become a part of an official within a government, it sends concern through the private sector of the United States. So, you see, US companies are often rethinking their relationships in the country. We’ve seen it in Afghanistan and other countries’ companies … they look to de-risk or even cut ties. And we’re in such a beautiful position right now. All these US companies want to come to Guyana. I don’t want that to change,” Theriot explained.

Azruddin, along with his father, Nazar Mohamed and their businesses, namely Mohamed’s Enterprise, Hadi’s World and Team Mohamed’s Racing, on June 11 2024, were sanctioned by OFAC, which oversees sanctions against individuals and entities tied to illicit activities and hostile foreign governments.

In a June 2024 statement, the OFAC stated, “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 thousand kilogrammes of gold from import-and-export declarations and avoided paying more than US$50 million in duty taxes to the Government of Guyana.”