‘We will challenge the charges’ – Mohameds

Oct 07, 2025 News

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…blame Govt. ‘for all of this’

(Kaieteur News) – Leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Azruddin Mohamed has vowed to fight on despite the latest setback with the United States government unsealing a 11-count indictment against him and his father for tax evasion here. And he assured that the charges against him by the United States will be challenged. Mohamed said he is assembling a battery of lawyers from Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Kingdom to fight his battle.

The indictment, unsealed on October 2, 2025, accuses the Mohameds of orchestrating an elaborate fraud and money-laundering scheme involving gold exports, customs fraud, bribery, and the evasion of millions in taxes and royalties owed to Guyana.

The case, captioned United States of America v. Nazar Mohamed & Azruddin Mohamed, is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida under case number 25-CR-20441 (WILLIAMS/LETT). Among the statutes cited are: conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1349), wire fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1343), mail fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1341), conspiracy to commit money laundering (18 U.S.C. § 1956(h)), and related forfeiture statutes (18 U.S.C. §§ 981, 982).

At the heart of the US Government’s case lie several core allegations, among them gold export fraud and customs seal reuse. The indictment seen by this newspaper charges that Mohamed’s Enterprise, the Guyana-based gold wholesaling and export company controlled 90% by Nazar and 10% by Azruddin, is alleged to have sold gold to buyers in Miami and Dubai, while circumventing Guyana’s revenue and regulatory system. The indictment claims that the defendants would reuse official Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Guyana Gold Board (GGB) customs seals and export declarations, originally applied legally on one shipment on subsequent shipments for which they had not paid taxes or royalties. This, prosecutors say, created the false impression that proper payments had been made.

Additionally, the duo is also accused of bribing state officials to facilitate their alleged corrupt acts. The indictment sets forth that the Mohameds paid bribes to Guyanese government officials, including customs agents to allow the acceptance of duplicate paperwork and reused seals. Through this mechanism, the scheme allegedly enabled the evasion of duties and royalties that should have gone to Guyana’s coffers.  Political observers say if Azruddin Mohamed takes up the mantle of Leader of the Opposition, he would be walking a razor’s edge: balancing political ambition with his legal troubles and courtroom defenses. “In the coming weeks, Guyanese eyes will be fixed on how his legal team responds, how the U.S. case unfolds and crucially how Guyana’s constitutional institutions react,” on commentator told Kaieteur News.

In a brief interview with Kaieteur News on Monday Azruddin Mohamed assured that he will be taking up his role as leader of the Opposition when Parliament is convened. “I will be moving ahead as opposition leader and my party will represent the people of this country. In the first place because of the politics, I am in this unfortunate situation. My father is the owner of Mohamed’s Enterprise not me. I wasn’t supposed to be sanctioned in first place,” the younger Mohamed said. He said the PPP/C Government’s paid lobbyist out of Washington is working overtime to stop his movement. “But I will fight on, I will not let my people down,” Mohamed said.

Asked how are MPs taking this new development and whether he feels this could hurt his support on the ground, Mohamed responded: “My MPs are supporting me fully, they know that the PPP is behind this because the PPP see WIN as a threat and we are gaining even more support because everyone is seeing how relentless is the PPP.”

Fear tactic

In a subsequent press statement, Mohamed acknowledged that while there are legal constraints on how much he 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. Make no mistake; this is not just a personal attack; this is political; this is a fear tactic. The PPP has seen what is possible after a mere three months of campaigning; they know what is at stake, and they are reacting accordingly.”

He added: “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?”

Mohamed said the PPP/C administration misused public funds- some US$300,000 USD  to hire a U.S. lobby firm whose sole purpose is to smear and marginalise political opponents; “in this instance, their sole purpose is to target the Mohameds and, in their attacks, paint a false narrative about us. Now you know the purpose of the nearly 63 million GYD wasted on a lobby firm – political persecution and that money could have been used to uplift the people,” the WIN leader said.

He said fearing the momentum seen at the last election and the cry of the Guyanese people for change, “they (PPP/C) 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.

Please know that for the love of country and on the principle of service over self, I stand resolute. I will not be silenced. When the wicked came to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though they encamp against me, I shall not fear. To my supporters, thank you for standing with me,” the statement concluded.

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• Azruddin Mohamed, Nazar Mohamed, OFAC sanctions, US indict, win

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