VICE-PRESIDENT, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has accused sections of Guyana’s judiciary, political opposition and media of shielding U.S.-indicted businessman Azruddin Mohamed from scrutiny, alleging that wealth is being used to manipulate public opinion.

The Vice-President, who also serves as the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) General Secretary, on Thursday, during a press conference at Freedom House pointed to the recent events that have been unfolding regarding the WIN leader and his father Nazar ‘Shell’ who was also indicted.

The Mohameds have been accused of being linked to an “international criminal enterprise.”

Dr Jagdeo drew parallels between the current happenings and Colombia’s past struggles with narco-politics, calling for decisive action “to tackle it now.”

He further said: “We are watching the people who are going to not perform their duties because they are compromised… we are watching them carefully.”

As Dr Jagdeo highlighted how these local actors are helping to obscure the Mohameds’ illegalities, he singled out an article published by Stabroek News a few weeks ago, in which the publication reported that Venezuelan Ambassador to Guyana, Carlos Amador Pérez Silva, had denied that Nazar had visited the embassy despite widely circulated video evidence.

Dr Jagdeo further pointed out that after the newspaper admitted to misrepresenting the facts, it did not pursue the reason for the elder Mohamed’s visit.

He said: “That’s a story that will never be written by the Stabroek News…because their objective was not to inform the public, but to help the Mohameds cover up their surreptitious visit to the Venezuelan Embassy.”

Dr Jagdeo then pointed out that the elder Mohamed presented a letter from the Venezuelan Embassy inviting him to a youth conference scheduled for July 25, 2025, as justification for his controversial visit to the embassy.

However, the Vice-President pointed out that Nazar visited the embassy in August while the youth conference was held weeks prior.

“It could not have been for that youth conference. It had to be for something else,” he said, emphasising that given the fact that a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida returned a true bill indictment against the duo charging them with multiple counts of fraud, money laundering and related offences, linking them to high offices in Venezuela, Nazar’s visit to the embassy is suspicious.

Dr Jagdeo then pointed out an alarming chain of events, noting that the extradition request was sent by U.S. authorities on October 26, the same day as the terrorist incident at the Mobil gas station.

He noted that the request was signed on October 27, and referenced social media posts on October 28 by operatives in Azruddin’s political outfit, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) that predicted “a big distraction within the next 24 hours.”

In spite of the gravity of the allegations  against the duo, last Friday they were granted bail in the sum of $150,000 each, a move the Vice-President labelled as “unprecedented.”

“It was a convenience to the Mohameds so they could pay $150,000 in cash. People don’t get bail for that. You can imagine the world looking on at Guyana and saying, ‘What is happening in that country?’”

Representing the U.S. government via Zoom, Jamaican attorney Terrence Williams, KC, had urged the court to deny bail, calling the Mohameds “flight risks” and “key figures in an international criminal enterprise” with reach across South America, the Middle East and the United States.

The lawyers representing the U.S alleged that the Mohameds’ operations include connections “reaching in high offices in Venezuela,” the U.S. and the Middle East, and warned that their connections posed a serious hindrance to the course of justice.

“The information we have is that [they] have been in contact with authorities in Venezuela,” the prosecution told the court, noting that if granted bail, the Mohameds could “tamper with justice,” as there are witnesses to the crime who live in Guyana.

Amidst the explosive allegations being posed by the U.S. prosecution, it was further alleged that the Mohameds have supported local criminal activities and civil unrest, which have undermined public order and security in Guyana.

‘COMPROMISED’

The Vice President continued to highlight how local actors have stayed far from pressing Azruddin on the U.S’ allegation of his involvement in transnational crime exceeding US$50 million.

He then pointed to the statements made in the U.S. Congress by Representatives Carlos Gimenez and Maria Salazar, who raised alarms about Venezuelan efforts to undermine Guyana’s territorial sovereignty and democracy through “pro-Maduro puppet candidate Azruddin Mohamed.”

“This is not random…these statements reflect information available to U.S. intelligence that connects the Mohameds to broader regional networks,” Dr Jagdeo said.

He further stated that “half of the media” has remained complacent and have not challenged the Mohameds about the criminal allegations.

“They said ‘it’s a historic day,’ it might be historic in that sense here that a criminal who is wanted in the United States of America, who is a fugitive in the United States of America, basically, because that’s the act we’re going under…,” Dr. Jagdeo said.

Turning his attention to the political parties, Dr. Jagdeo said the former opposition, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is “compromised.”

Despite the grave nature of the crimes that the father and son duo are being accused of, Dr Jagdeo said APNU has stayed clear and has instead just been issuing “lukewarm” statements.

“So it’s not just media, not just executive bodies, not just [the] judiciary they go after. They buy political party, and I believe they bought APNU… that’s why APNU did not put up a resistance in the election,” he said.