United States-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed has been frequenting the Venezuelan Embassy in Guyana and has recently applied for a visa to Caracas.
This revelation was made today by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hugh Todd and comes on the heels of US Congressman Carlos Gimenez raising concerns over what he had described as Venezuela’s attempt to influence internal affairs in Guyana, specifically through Mohamed.
“I’m encouraged to inform you that only recently we found out that the Mohameds have been frequently visiting the Venezuelan Embassy here in Georgetown. Now, you can recall that we’ve had Congressmmen in the United States of America who have been very vocal in connecting the Mohameds to Nicholas Maduro and his regime, particularly as it relates to smuggling and the sanctions that have been placed on Venezuela, gold smuggling that is, and money laundering,” Todd disclosed during an interview conducted by the Department of Public Information.
According to Todd, this matter is of grave concern for the Guyana Government.
“That is of concern to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Government of Guyana, and of course it will be of grave concern to the people of Guyana because we see that as a move that connects what the Congressmmen in the United States have been saying with the action of the Mohameds here,” he explained.
In fact, Minister Todd disclosed that he had summoned Venezuela’s Ambassador to Guyana, Carlos Amador Perez Silva, to a meeting on the issue.
“He confirmed that the Mohameds visited the embassy to apply for visas to go to Venezuela, specifically Caracas. So, that is of concern to us because we can see or we can follow a pattern now that has been evolving, and I think that is a concern to us as a people and as a nation because that can pose a threat to our sovereignty, particularly this particular moment that we have our regional and national elections,” Todd noted.
“We know that we’ve seen previously that you can have foreign interference, and of course we have to ensure that we are very cautious because we cannot rule out any attempt by Venezuela to use any option available to derail our electoral process,” he added.
President Dr Irfaan Ali and Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo have repeatedly warned of the risks Mohamed poses to Guyana’s sovereignty.
Todd has reiterated this point, noting that “it is clear that the Mohameds are close to Nicholas Maduro and his regime, that can pose a serious threat to our sovereignty, and it can also affect our relations with the United States and our traditional partners. So I think it is of grave concern to us as a people and as a nation.”
Back in June 2024, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued the sanctions against businessmen Azruddin and his father Nazar and their businesses, stating that the Mohamed’s Enterprise smuggled some 10,000 kg of gold out of Guyana between 2019 and 2023, and avoided paying more than US$50 million in duty taxes.
Mohamed subsequently formed a political party called “We Invest in Nationhood” and is running as the presidential candidate in the upcoming elections on September 1.
Jagdeo has previously told reporters that, “you got a longstanding issue of Venezuela bypassing sanctions through the gold smuggling and some of it was coming through Guyana, the smuggling of Venezuelan gold through Guyana, that there were generals in Venezuela who were complicit with individuals here who were the conduit to getting Venezuelan gold, in that period…out through it being sold from Guyana through individuals in Guyana…you do the maths”.
The Vice President also pointed out that both Mohamed and Maduro are US-sanctioned individuals, indicating that if the Guyanese businessman wins the presidency, “he may very well lose the US support on the border issue.”
US-sanctioned Mohamed threatens Guyana’s financial system & territorial integrity – Pres. Ali
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