—VP Jagdeo dismisses suspiciously timed claim that several gov’t ministers will be sanctioned
VICE-PRESIDENT, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has strongly dismissed the baseless and suspiciously timed claim that several government ministers will be hit by sanctions and instead branded the claim as an attempt to deflect from the implosion of United States (U.S.) sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed’s political party.
Speaking at a People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) public meeting at Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara, on Friday, the Vice President said that the allegation came in the wake of Mohamed’s political party’s- We Invest in Nationhood (WIN)- “disaster” of a manifesto launch on Thursday.
Dr Jagdeo’s comments came after a local journalist, whom Jagdeo said is allegedly affiliated with Mohamed’s circle, posted claims that several officials would be among the targets of U.S. sanctions.
“He [Mohamed] then repeated it on the team Mohamed site to make it look, ‘oh, we’re all in this…together,” Dr. Jagdeo said, while rejecting the claim, adding that, “It’s not true.”

Also, the Vice President said that Mohamed and his social media operatives are continuing to deliberately dilute the seriousness of the U.S. sanctions against him and what repercussions lie in place for those affiliated with sanctioned individuals.
“It’s a selfish enterprise. So, you need to understand what is at stake here. We can’t put the future of this country at risk,” the Vice President told the mammoth crowd.
In fact, Mohamed, on Thursday, appeared unfazed by the shadow of financial sanctions as he eyes the presidency under his WIN party.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot, stated that the U.S. Government, particularly the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), views any elevation of Mohamed, the leader of the WIN party, as problematic.
Dr Jagdeo on Thursday stressed the seriousness of the statements by the U.S. Ambassador and explained that the sanctions are not just visa revocations, but they entail serious implications for not only the Mohameds, but also for the country.
He once again emphasised that the U.S. 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 the American oil giant, ExxonMobil, had to pull out of the consortium with the Mohameds because of the sanction regulations.
Speaking candidly with reporters on Wednesday, Ambassador Theriot shared the views of the U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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.”