Latest update April 10th, 2026 12:30 AM
Jan 23, 2026 News
(Kaieteur News) – Guyanese businessman Nazar “Shell” Mohamed has condemned statements made by Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir about his son, Azruddin Mohamed, leader of the political party We Invest in Nationhood (WIN).
In a letter to the editor, Mohamed said he was disappointed and outraged by the Speaker’s remarks describing them as reckless, abusive, and defamatory and called on Nadir to issue an apology.
On Tuesday evening, Nadir broke his silence on the issue of convening a meeting to facilitate the election of a Leader of the Opposition. During the live broadcast, the Speaker took aim at Azruddin Mohamed, suggesting that his possible election as opposition leader would tarnish Guyana’s Parliament and labelled him an “international fugitive.”
“As you know very well, I have consistently refrained from engaging in political commentary and stick to the issues at hand all politics removed. However, what you uttered went far beyond politics. Your dangerous and destructive references to Pablo Escobar, to drugs, and to criminality were not only disgraceful, they were deliberate lies, calculated to mislead the public and poison the national discourse,” Mohamed said in his letter.
He grouped Nadir’s remarks with statements previously made by President Irfaan Ali, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, and Attorney General Anil Nandlall, which he described as allegations that are “total fabrications.”
“Allegations about drugs, Colombian connections, Russian connections and all these strange allegations. The U.S. authorities have never confirmed these allegations ever existed,” Mohamed stressed.
He further questioned why, if the Government of Guyana possesses any credible evidence to support the “slander” repeated by Nadir, no action has been taken and no charges or prosecutions initiated. “The answer is because no such evidence exists,” he added.
Mohamed outlined those sanctions imposed by the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on himself, his son, and their businesses as well as the related indictment refer solely to an alleged tax matter.
“They do not allege drug trafficking. They do not allege narcotics proceeds. They do not allege cartel activity. They do not allege trafficking of any nature. Furthermore, Azruddin Mohamed is alleged to own 10% of the shares of the company, but the actual fact is that he has nothing to do with the referenced company. He has never received a salary from the company for any services. He has his own separate business. These facts are not in dispute,” Mohamed said.
In his letter, Mohamed also referenced an article published by an international media group that focused extensively on Azruddin Mohamed, noting that nearly all of the sensational claims were ultimately excluded from the final allegations. “What began as a sprawling narrative was ultimately reduced to minimal, unproven allegations, with 99% of the insinuations never forming part of any charge,” he added.
Nazar and Azruddin are currently challenging an extradition request by the United States Government in the local courts. The businessmen have been indicted in the U.S. on multiple charges, including allegations of orchestrating a fraud and money-laundering scheme involving gold exports, customs fraud, bribery, and the evasion of millions of dollars in taxes and royalties allegedly owed to Guyana.
Mohamed said Nadir chose to repeat what he described as the vilest insinuations from his chair as Speaker, an office he noted demands neutrality, restraint, and respect for truth. He also said that he found the statements highly offensive and described them as a personal betrayal. “As Speaker, you have a constitutional duty to uphold fairness, dignity, and integrity. Instead, you weaponised your office to spread blatant lies and character assassination. That conduct is unbecoming of your role and corrosive to public trust,” Mohamed stated.
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Comments are closed.
Your children are starving, and you giving away their food to an already fat pussycat.
Apr 10, 2026
Kaieteur Sports – Cricket West Indies Masters Association (CWIMA) has announced that His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, has agreed to serve...Apr 10, 2026
(Kaieteur News) – There was a time when things were used as they were intended. A fork for eating and a bed for sleeping. I am told that in the old days, when there was a global oil crisis and petrol prices rose, motor racing was gently but firmly discouraged. Not outlawed, mind you but quietly...Apr 05, 2026
By Sir Ronald Sanders (Kaieteur News) – The Caribbean has not set out to loosen its trade dependence on the United States. It is being driven to do so. For generations, Caribbean importers and consumers have looked first to the American market. They have done so for reasons of preference and...Apr 10, 2026
(Kaieteur News) – I rarely talk about what comes out of the White House, the Dept. of Justice, and the US, in general. Indeed, President Trump has done that well with the American brand, savaged it so much, made it into a football for the world. A man of sorrows, he is. But what of his...Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: glennlall2000@gmail.com / kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
I guess Shell has some serious gonads. As I have said earlier, the Guyana government failed to proactively audit “businessmen” like Shell and Azruddin.
From the time the government sees these people spending the kind of money that they are spending, I wonder about that. Yes it will be expensive but the revenue of which they are robbing the government will more than cover that expense.