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Nazar Mohamed rejects blackmail allegations
…challenges President to publish full message
By Khadidja Ba
(Kaieteur News) – Businessman Nazar “Shell” Mohamed has called on President Irfaan Ali to release the full evidence he says he has behind allegations of blackmail.
On Sunday when Leader of the Opposition, Azruddin Mohamed, released a 24-minute video presentation on his “Team Mohamed’s” Facebook page, he leveled heavy corruption allegations against the president, detailing the rapid development of a sprawling 150-acre agricultural estate and private ranch off the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.
According to Azruddin Mohamed, the private property boasts luxury amenities, including a two-story concrete ranch house, an outdoor entertainment area with a swimming pool, and an infrastructure network featuring a GY$75 million road, cumulatively valued at over $2.2 billion Guyana dollars (GYD). Mohamed argued that such a rapid, “mind-boggling” development over a three-year period could ‘never’ be legally substantiated by a standard presidential salary of GY$3.5 to $3.7 million per month.
Nazar “Shell” Mohamed
President Ali launched a counter-offensive on Sunday, utilising his official Facebook page to post a Newsroom article that refuted the claims surrounding his private property. Rubbishing the opposition’s narrative as a “contrived story concerning his farm,” the head-of-state insisted there was absolutely no state involvement or public financing tied to his agricultural operations.
President Ali maintained that the farm existed long before he took office in 2020 and pointed directly to his formal submissions to the Integrity Commission. He asserted that his official asset declarations completely disprove both the inflated valuation alleged by the opposition and the funding sources, noting that he secured personal bank loans to finance the agricultural activities.
However, the administration’s response extended far beyond property lines, unleashing a direct accusation of extortion against the Mohamed family.
Further, President Ali stated that he is in possession of text messages received from Azruddin’s father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, sent as recently as last week. The president alleged that these communications contained clear ultimatums, threatening the release of damaging audio or video recordings unless “amends were made between the president and the Mohamed family.”
According to the head-of-state, the underlying objective of the text messages was to pressure the government into halting or easing ongoing U.S. extradition proceedings against the Mohameds. The father and son duo face an 11-count federal indictment in the Southern District of Florida for wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering linked to their gold trading network.
“Those communications and their contents are capable of examination and speak for themselves,” President Ali stated, declaring his complete willingness to make the text transcripts public.
In an invited response to the president’s heavy contentions, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed pushed back against the administration’s narrative, issuing a direct challenge to the head-of-state to publish the records immediately.
“I categorically reject the president’s claim that I attempted to blackmail him,” Nazar Mohamed told this newspaper. “I challenge President Ali to release, in its entirety, the communication I sent to him on Friday morning.”
The senior Mohamed maintained that the message contained no threats, no mention of blackmail, and no reference to legal sanctions or indictments. He further revealed that upon receiving the text message on Friday, President Ali attempted to place a phone call back to him, which Mohamed chose not to answer.
“I have nothing to hide,” Nazar Mohamed stated. “I invite the president to make the communication public and allow the people of Guyana to read it for themselves. Let the public judge the facts rather than rely on unfounded allegations.”
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