Lease shows Pres. Ali acquired 20 acres under Jagdeo administration

Jul 08, 2026 News

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…130 acres of Long Creek development unexplained

(Kaieteur News) – Official documents seen by this publication reveal a duplicate lease, filed under File No. 411123/688 (Lease No. A 23480), issued under Section 3(b) of the State Lands Act, Chapter 62:01. The document shows that then President Bharrat Jagdeo, acting on behalf of the State of Guyana as the “Lessor,” leased two parcels of land to Mohamed Ali (Passport No. R028239), designated as the “Lessee.”

The land is located on the western side of the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, Left Bank Haimaruni River (also known as Long Creek), County of Demerara. Lots 33 and 35, containing 9.733 acres and 10.605 acres respectively, totaling 20.338 acres. As delineated on GL&SC Plan No. 50318 by Sworn Land Surveyor R. Looknauth, dated 2^nd September, 2011.

The PNCR/APNU coalition said through a statement to the head of state, demanding unequivocal clarity on whether he remains the beneficial owner of these highway farmlands. The opposition pointed to reports indicating that the lease and subsequent structural arrangements amount to an estimated $25 million annually, questioning how these payments are financed given the president’s declared sources of income.

“As president of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Dr. Ali has a fiduciary responsibility to the people of this country and is obligated to uphold the highest standards of transparency and accountability,” the PNCR/APNU statement read, calling for an immediate release of his income, assets, and liabilities.

Simultaneously, Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed launched a critique, demanding President Ali’s immediate resignation. Mohamed claimed that the initial 20-acre lease has expanded into a massive 150-acre private luxury ranch at Long Creek, estimating its current market value at more than $5 billion. Mohamed contrasted this immense valuation with the president’s official monthly public servant salary of $3.7 million. “President Irfaan Ali has been a public servant all his life,” Mohamed stated, alleging that the multi-billion-dollar development materialised within just three years of Ali taking office in 2020, “while 60 percent of Guyanese live in poverty.”

Compounding the domestic political pressure, Transparency International Guyana (TI Guyana) intervened on Tuesday, releasing a sharp statement expressing deep alarm over the Long Creek facility. The anti-corruption watchdog warned that the allegations raise urgent questions regarding “conflicts of interest, misuse of public resources, and violations of the Public Integrity Act,” adding that the scandal risks severely eroding global investor confidence in Guyana’s regulatory climate.

In an unprecedented move designed to ensure absolute impartiality, TI Guyana announced it is ceding control of the inquiry to external bodies. “TI Guyana invites Transparency International member chapters and independent experts from other jurisdictions to lead and conduct the investigation,” the organisation stated. The local chapter will act strictly in a consultative and facilitative capacity, providing local context while ensuring the investigators remain completely independent of domestic political influence. The probe intends to scrutinise compliance with public ethics laws and determine whether state resources were funnelled into personal enrichment.

Government defends actions amid “statutory secrecy”

Faced with growing scrutiny, government officials have sought to downplay the crisis, though critics describe their responses as evasive.

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha appeared to stumble when questioned by journalists on the sidelines of a relief check distribution exercise for rice farmers at the National Track and Field Centre in Leonora. Mustapha deflected specific questions regarding the farm’s financials, asserting that asset declarations are handled by the proper regulatory bodies.

“Well, I don’t know if they… well, you have been disclosing at the integrity commission. And if somebody has been disclosing their asset, financial records to they have nothing to hide. And the president, I think, is upfront and open,” Mustapha mumbled. President Ali himself addressed the mounting allegations via a statement on his official Facebook page, defending his compliance with the law “As required by law, the president has made the appropriate declarations to the integrity commission.

The acquisition of his assets and the source of the funds used to acquire them are capable of verification through the relevant financial and regulatory records.” However, legal experts point out a critical loophole in this defense. Under the Integrity Commission Act, CAP 26:01, the regulatory body is bound by a strict statutory obligation of confidentiality. The law prohibits the commission from making public the contents of any declaration or assessment. Consequently, this legislated secrecy effectively shields the president’s asset records from public eyes, making the independent verification promised by the head of state legally impossible for journalists and the public to achieve. TI Guyana has warned the administration against “continued obfuscation or attempts to gaslight the public,” maintaining that the documented evidence published to date is serious enough to demand full, unhindered scrutiny.

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• Jagdeo administration, lease, Long Creek, President Ali Ranch, President Irfaan Ali

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