Mohamed confident US will lift sanctions if elected president

Jul 26, 2025 News

Presidential candidate for the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, Azruddin Mohamed

Kaieteur News – Presidential candidate for We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), Azruddin Mohamed, who was sanctioned by the United States over a year ago, is confident those sanctions will be lifted and that the Donald Trump administration will work with him should he assume the presidency.

On Thursday, WIN launched its 2025 manifesto, promising to better the lives of Guyanese through a slew of cash incentives and other policies. In June 2025, Mohamed launched his political party, WIN, one of six parties set to contest the general and regional elections on September 1.

During the launch, Mohamed said, “When we take office the second of September the United States of America will work with us.”

This comment by WIN’s presidential candidate followed remarks made by United States Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot, who disclosed that the U.S. was “very concerned” about the possibility of the businessman, who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), entering government and how that would affect the dynamics between Georgetown and Washington.

After the launch, when asked about the ambassador’s comments, Mohamed first underscored that he only entered the 2025 presidential race because it’s the will of the people.

United States Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot

Regarding to the sanctions, Mohamed said, “My lawyers in the United States of America, they are presently working with OFAC to get me delisted and I think I’m being very optimistic that very soon I will be delisted so that we can work together with the United States of America.” When pressed further, he reiterated that he’s confident he will be delisted.

Asked about his next move should the sanctions remain, Mohamed noted, “Well, if you listen to ambassador…she mentioned that she can work with other members of the team, not specifically me.”

Last year, Mohamed, his father Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, their businesses, and government official Mae Thomas were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s OFAC. The Mohameds were sanctioned for alleged gold smuggling.

On Wednesday, on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Global Biodiversity Alliance Summit in Georgetown, Ambassador Theriot said, “Yes, we are concerned. Anytime a US Department of Treasury OFAC sanctioned individual has the potential to become a member of government, that is concerning for us.”

She contended that Mohamed being in government is “problematic in multiple ways.” The ambassador explained that if someone sanctioned by OFAC were to become part of the administration, it would restrict or change how the U.S. government interacts with that government. “We have to be very careful. If that person is involved, let’s say he were on a certain committee, we would have to be very careful in working with that committee. We have to make sure that we didn’t work with him specifically,” she added.

Further, she said the situation would likely raise concern among U.S. private sector entities already operating in Guyana or planning to invest.

Ambassador Theriot said, “So you see US companies often rethinking their relationship in the country. We saw it in Afghanistan. We’ve seen it in other countries as well. They sometimes look to de risk, or to even just cut ties with the country…” To this end, she underscored that the U.S. and Guyana are currently in a “beautiful position” due to how welcoming the country has been to American companies. “…and I don’t want, if he [Mohamed] were to become a member of the government to change,” she noted.

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Azruddin Mohamed, Nicole Theriot, sanctions, We Invest in Nationhood

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