HGP Nightly News – President Irfaan Ali has flatly dismissed demands for an investigation into Tourism Minister Susan Rodrigues’ growing asset profile, insisting that the minister has already answered the questions being raised and that there is “no basis” for any probe. Speaking with reporters at a weekend event, Ali said Rodrigues has already put information into the public domain and has filed her declarations as required.
“I think the minister has made it very clear that she can account for whatever she owns. The tourism minister has also shared that with the public,” the President said. When asked directly whether he was satisfied with her explanations, Ali responded: “The minister has demonstrated, I have no question when the minister has demonstrated. Allegations are always made.”
Ali also sought to frame the issue within the PPP’s broader record of declarations, saying that even when the party was in Opposition, those in public life were still submitting their filings to the Integrity Commission. The President’s remarks come as opposition parties, including We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), keep the pressure on Rodrigues, calling for her resignation amid allegations of corruption linked to her ownership of several assets over a short period.
Rodrigues has denied the allegations, but acknowledged key details that have now become part of the national debate, including ownership of a Florida property valued at about $116 million Guyana dollars, and two prime parcels of land at Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara. She has also confirmed that a U.S. company, Revelle Investments LLC, was registered on January 16, 2024.
As criticism mounted over how her assets could be financed, Rodrigues addressed the line of attack head-on, saying her critics were wrongly reducing the issue to a salary comparison. “Azruddin Mohamed has repeatedly and wrongly equated my assets to my public service salary. This is an unfair and asinine comparison that completely disregards how a person leverages equity to access loans from the banking system,” she said.
Rodrigues has said that beyond her ministerial salary, she receives rental income and proceeds from family businesses, and she maintains that financing mechanisms are central to how assets are acquired. On the Peter’s Hall lands, she has said mortgages were used to facilitate the purchases.
