WIN Leader Azruddin Mohamed Accuses Ruling Party of Seeking to Silence Him

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The leader of the recently formed We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, Azruddin Mohamed, says he will not be silenced and accused the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) of delaying the opening of the new parliament following the September 1 general and regional elections.

“I have noted the allegations peddled against me and my family. While there are legal constraints on how much I can share at this juncture, I am permitted to say this much in the interim; the leadership of the PPP has been advancing a sustained narrative against the Mohameds aimed at discrediting us,”  Mohamed said in a statement posted on his Facebook page.

On Monday, it was revealed that the United States authorities had indicted the WIN leader and his father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed on charges related to wire and mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, stemming from tax evasion on gold exports and the importation of a Lamborghini luxury car.

Denying the allegations contained in the 11-count indictment,  Mohamed said he and his father would fight any extradition request by the United States.

“We are going to fight it here in the court. We are innocent,” he said, adding ” “I’m going to defend myself vigorously because I’m innocent. I am innocent of all these charges and I know it’s heavily political with this administration”.

The indictment come just over a month after Mohamed led his newly formed political party to become the main opposition party in the National Assembly.

If found guilty on the charges of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, the Mohameds, who were sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in June last year, could  separately face a maximum of 20 years on each count, as well as maximum supervised release of three years, a maximum fine of US$250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss.

On the charges of wire fraud, the politician businessman could also be sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and maximum supervised release of three years and a fine of US$250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss.

The Grand Jury is also seeking a maximum of 20 years imprisonment, three years supervised release and a fine of US$500,000 or the value of the property involved in the transaction for conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The US is also asking the court that “upon conviction…as alleged in this Indictment, the defendants “shall forfeit to the United States any property, real or personal, which constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to such offense.”

The PPP/C and the Guyana government have denied having any hand in the US legal actions against the Mohameds.

But in his statement, Mohamed said that “this is not just a personal attack; this is political; this is a fear tactic”  adding that the ruling party has become afraid of his involvement in the politics of Guyana.

“My emergence into Parliament after campaigning for only three months sends a clear message of how quickly our movement has changed the political landscape in Guyana. It was declared that WIN has 16 seats, though that allocation does not reflect our numbers on the ground.

“We are grateful because this result is a remarkable achievement on entry. The PPP knows what is at stake in 2030, and they want no challengers in Parliament. The PPP holds a majority; why then are they stalling to convene the 13th parliament and swear in the duly elected opposition?”

He said that the Irfaan  Ali government had spent thousands of US dollars hiring a lobby firm in the US “ whose sole purpose is to smear and marginalise political opponents”  and “in this instance, their sole purpose is to target the Mohameds and, in their attacks, paint a false narrative about us”.

He said that the ruling party is now fearful of  the “momentum seen at the last election and …they are doing everything possible to stop me.

“The constant attacks, whether directly or indirectly, are to weaken me, with hopes that if they hit hard enough, I will cower and retreat. Truth be told, if I rid myself of my political ambitions, these attacks will cease, but I, Azruddin Mohamed, leader of We Invest in Nationhood and Leader of the Opposition (Elect), reaffirm my commitment to you, the Guyanese people. I will continue to stand up and fight, no matter the cost,” he wrote.

“I will not be silenced…I shall not fear,” he added.