United States-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed admitted today that he has never received any favours from President Dr Irfaan Ali.
Speaking to reporters while observing polling day activities today, Mohamed explained that his family once had a close relationship with Ali “as a Muslim brother to a Muslim brother”.
“That’s all…Irfaan Ali never granted me no favor,” the businessman said.
Mohamed, who is the presidential candidate of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), had in June sought to implicate the President in his tax evasion matter which is currently before the court.
Mohamed has been charged for allegedly undervaluing a Lamborghini and submitting falsified documentation to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).
Mohamed was placed on $500,000 bail for tax evasion and fraudulent declaration charges in relation to the purchase of the Lamborghini Roadster SVJ.
The first charge alleged that the 39-year-old on or about December 7, 2020, caused to be made and subscribed, a false declaration to the GRA when he stated on the GRA’s custom declaration form that the purchased amount for the Lamborghini was US$75,300, instead of the true purchase price of US$695,000.
The second charge accuses Mohamed of, on the same date, fraudulently declaring to the Revenue Authority US$75,300 as the purchase price for the luxury vehicle thus resulting in the sum of $383,383,345 in taxes being evaded.
Mohamed, who is also currently facing sanctions by the US Government over gold smuggling and tax evasion allegations, had pleaded not guilty to both charges.
It was previously reported that these charges were filed by the GRA after it obtained evidence from the US Department of Justice (DoJ). GRA Commissioner, Godfrey Statia, had written the US authorities for information on the purchase of the luxury vehicle.
The DoJ, under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), provided the Guyanese Tax collection body with an original invoice for the Lamborghini, which was billed to Azruddin Mohamed himself, to the tune of US$695,000. This was also corroborated by documents obtained by GRA from a local bank that showed wire transfers from Mohamed’s account to the US seller.
Amid the charges, Mohamed sought to implicate the President, releasing text messages between the two. But President Ali had already rejected the businessman’s attempts as deceitful.
President Ali had clarified that in the conversation, at no point did the businessman present to him nor the GRA with the actual invoice reflecting the vehicle’s true value, which is now confirmed to be US$695,000.
The President had said Mohamed never disclosed the vehicle’s actual cost to him nor to the relevant tax authorities and continues to maintain the inaccurate figure, despite mounting evidence.
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