‘Y’all ain’t getting no land’

Mar 11, 2025 News

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—PPP activist tells Lima Sands residents after their meeting with Mohamed 

Kaieteur News- Elsie Schadde, Community Representative of the ruling People’s Progressive Party in Lima Sands, Essequibo Coast, on Sunday threatened to deny residents house lots after they met with businessman, Azruddin Mohamed during a visit to that community.

Residents of Lima Sands clashed with Schadde and PPP MP, Juliet Coonjah when they tried to prevent a meeting between the residents and Mohamed. In a statement on its Facebook page, Team Mohameds said news of Mr. Mohamed’s visit to Lima Sands led to a stand-off between residents and Coonjah. “The incident, which was caught on camera, highlighted the inappropriate behaviour of the PPP representatives, particularly the MP, who is elected to serve the people of the region and, by extension, the entire Guyanese population.”

Team Mohamed said the residents stood firm, eventually forcing the political activists to leave the area. Despite this incident, Mr. Mohamed met with the residents, who were eager to discuss the issues affecting them. Mohamed said his visit to the community was in response to a request from the residents and it was not the first time that agents of the PPP attempted to block him from entering a community or a public facility.

During the stand-off with the residents, Schadde was heard telling the residents: “All ah y’all apply for land. Y’all lazy, y’all lazy, y’all are a set a lazy people. Y’all come to me for land, come to me for land. Y’all ain’t getting no land.”  For her part, Coonjah, writing under a post by a PPP supporter, Pryia Jagdeo, said she had an engagement in Lima Sands and was not aware Mohamed had a meeting. “So, while our party people was going, they blocked the road and I was late traveling from G/T (Georgetown). On my arrival, I saw my people cannot access the road and I was told that our CDC Chair who lives in Lima Sands was heading towards our people and their thugs from Charity circle her, so I immediately tried to get her,” Coonjah wrote. “She, as a representative of Essequibo, had four questions for Mohamed: why he is coming to disturb the peace, having people following him and he is sanctioned; the Americans are watching and we need support from our allies on this Essequibo territorial issue; if he is in favour of Venezuela taking over and he cannot run for the presidency,” Coonjah continued.

The PPP/C and its activists have ratcheted up their attacks on the Mohameds since the senior Mohamed, Nazar Mohamed spoke out last week about the administration’s treatment of their businesses. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo was the first to respond to say that the government will not risk the future of the citizenry and face potential consequences by associating with U.S- sanctioned Guyanese businessmen Nazar “Shell” Mohamed and his son Azruddin Mohamed. Jagdeo had even made disparaging comments about Azruddin. Nazar Mohamed had said that senior figures within the People’s Progressive Party government have deliberately misrepresented the U.S- imposed sanctions to cripple his business. Last year, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on the father and son over allegations of tax evasion and on Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Mae Thomas, for allegedly misusing her position to offer benefits—such as government contracts—to the Mohameds.

Last Tuesday, Nazar Mohamed said that members of the PPP administration are misrepresenting the sanctions which he says have led to a systematic effort to affect their businesses. He added, “What I want to tell you, because I’ve seen, read and heard from people, some very senior people within the political structure, who have been deliberately misrepresenting what the sanction is about, ostracizing us.” Mohamed had highlighted his long-time support for the PPP but stressed that there is now a lot of hostility from the party towards his family. The businessman had detailed the mounting challenges faced by his companies, particularly the refusal to renew his cabotage permission and issues with his mining licence. Jagdeo refuted Shell Mohamed’s claim that, in light of the sanctions, only U.S companies will face sanctions if they continue to work with the Mohameds.

Tax demands

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has since issued tax demands totaling $900,801,201 to Azruddin Mohamed, following what the entity said was an investigation into the declared values and compliance status of several high-end vehicles. The GRA in letters to Mohamed indicated that it found discrepancies in declared values and breaches of tax exemption conditions that prompted the authority to seek additional payments. In separate letters dated March 4, 2025, GRA’s Law Enforcement and Investigation Division outlined the findings and financial obligations for the owners of a 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser, a 2020 Lamborghini Roadster, and a 2020 Ferrari 488. According to GRA, the declared values of two Toyota Land Cruisers—PAB 3000 and PAB 4000—were found to be inconsistent with similar vehicles. Consequently, the values were adjusted, and the owners were notified that each vehicle now carries an additional tax liability of $24,641,272. “The findings of the investigation revealed that the declared value is inconsistent with values of similar vehicles with the same specifications,” GRA stated in one of the letters. “As such, there are reasons to doubt the truth and accuracy of the declaration,” one of the letters stated.

In another case, a 2020 Lamborghini Roadster with registration PZZ 4000 was also found to have an undervalued declaration. GRA has now adjusted its value and imposed additional taxes amounting to $371,775,168. Additionally, GRA said that it launched an investigation into a tax-exempted Ferrari 488 owned by a re-migrant. The authority found that the owner failed to meet the required residency period, did not present the vehicle for periodic checks, and was not using it as intended under the terms of the exemption. As a result, the GRA is demanding the repayment of $479,743,489 in foregone taxes. “As a result, you are required to show cause why the Revenue Authority should not demand the foregone Customs Duty and Taxes,” one of the letters stated. GRA has given all affected parties 14 days to either pay the outstanding taxes or submit documentation proving the accuracy of their declarations. Failure to comply may lead to enforcement actions, including vehicle seizures. “In the event you fail to provide such justifications or effect payment of the applicable taxes within the stipulated timeframe, the Revenue Authority may take alternative actions pursuant to the laws administered,” the Authority warned.

(‘Y’all ain’t getting no land’)

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• Azruddin Mohamed, Community Representative, Elsie Schadde, People's Progressive Party, political activists

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