–Dr. Jagdeo highlights, as unsuspecting Guyanese face repercussions

THE omission of United States (US)-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed’s sister and brother-in-law from being on his political party- We Invest in Nationhood’s (WIN)- candidate list is a move to shield them from any legal or financial repercussions, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has opined.
During his weekly press conference at Freedom House, he alleged that Hana and Max Dmitriyev are not listed as candidates for WIN, while unsuspecting citizens are facing the consequences of affiliation with sanctioned individuals.
Dr. Jagdeo said, “Notice his sister and brother-in-law, they didn’t give up their US citizenship, they are not on the list. They’re every day in the media running all kinds of commentary, cussing everybody under the sun, but they don’t want to run afoul of the US…Poor, unsuspecting people now would face the consequences…”
Several local banks have started severing ties with candidates of the US-sanctioned Mohamed’s political party, WIN, affirming that this action is aligned with their usual risk assessment procedures.
The unsuspecting Guyanese, who are on WIN’s list, according to Dr. Jagdeo, are now facing the repercussions, in spite of Mohamed’s attempt to downplay the risk of the sanctions.
Dr. Jagdeo said, “I feel sad for those people…I’m sorry for those people because they and their families would be in trouble and he would laugh at the misery again.”
He added, “When they were supporting him, it was different; now they’re part of a formal organisation headed by a US sanctioned individual, the banks have no choice whatsoever, or else they would lose their business with the US.”
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.”
Recently, US Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot said that the US Government, particularly the OFAC, views any elevation of Mohamed, the leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, as “problematic”.
Speaking candidly with reporters recently, 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.