–Agriculture Minister flays US-sanctioned Azruddin Mohamed for ‘propaganda’; vows to take legal action

AGRICULTURE Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has rejected allegations being circulated on social media by United States-indicted Azruddin Mohamed.
Mohamed, leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, has sought to imply that Minister Mustapha’s residence at Bloomfield, Berbice, was acquired through corrupt means.
The minister, however, has shot down those allegations, describing them as false, malicious and politically motivated.
Mustapha maintains that the construction of the property was financed solely through a mortgage from Demerara Bank Limited and personal savings earned through lawful employment.
He pointed to his more than three decades in the public service, including stints as a Member of Parliament, Regional Chairman of Region Six, and, since 2020, a minister in the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government.
He said his statutory declarations to the Integrity Commission were up to date, and that he could account for all assets in his possession.
“I have been up to date with my declarations with the Integrity Commission, and I wish to assure my supporters and the general public that all my assets were acquired through lawful means. I can account for every asset I own,” the minister wrote in a statement.
Mustapha also addressed separate social media attacks by Mohamed on his son, Javed Mustapha.
He described those claims as misleading and harmful, and insisted that his son’s business activities and medical career were conducted with professionalism, transparency, and integrity.
He added that his son had previously distanced himself from Mohamed after becoming aware of what were described as unlawful and unethical practices; this is a decision the minister believes triggered a personal vendetta.
“Mr. Mohamed’s hypocrisy is glaring, and must not be countenanced. Instead of pretending to be the guardian of [anti-corruption], he should be addressing, in public, his own corrupt practices. Clearly, these nasty attacks on my family and me were designed to divert attention from his own corrupt practices,” Mustapha said.
He added: “I am issuing this statement to inform the interested public of our innocence regarding the purported allegations made in the Facebook posts, and to clarify that his attacks on us were personal. Therefore, we will not engage in a tit for tat with him.”
He stressed that the family would not engage in public exchanges over the matter, but had sought legal advice, with instructions given to attorneys to review the posts and consider appropriate action to prevent further defamatory publications.