GEORGETOWN, GUYANA – With just weeks to go before Guyanese head to the polls, what can’t be ignored are the questions about Azruddin Mohamed’s legal and diplomatic baggage that continue to hang over his campaign.
At a rally in Parfaite Harmonie Wednesday night, the billionaire businessman and WIN (We Invest in Nationhood) leader unveiled key elements of his manifesto to loud cheers, promising sweeping salary increases, tax cuts, pension hikes, and massive infrastructure projects.
But behind the stage lights and campaign slogans lies a growing list of unresolved issues that Mohamed has chosen to somewhat place on the backburner. There is now only hope that his famous slogan, “very soon, very shortly,” will in time address these concerns and issues lingering over his candidacy.
Despite the fanfare, the rally offered no answers about the criminal charges Mohamed faces locally, charges tied to alleged tax evasion and the false declaration of a Lamborghini luxury car. Nor did he address the more serious matter of U.S. sanctions, imposed last year over accusations that he failed to pay more than US$50 million in taxes on gold exports.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designation continues to cast a long shadow over his campaign, not least because it restricts access to international financial systems and has already triggered collateral fallout at home. Just days ago, Demerara Bank Limited quietly closed the accounts of several WIN candidates, a move widely linked to the ongoing sanctions.
The silence extended to the U.S. diplomatic community as well. Mohamed made no mention of U.S. Ambassador Nicole Theriot’s pointed warning that his potential presidency could damage Guyana’s international standing and harm its investment climate.
The ambassador’s remarks were unusually direct, reflecting clear unease in Washington over the prospect of a sanctioned businessman rising to the highest office in the country.Yet Mohamed appears undeterred.
His campaign strategy is simple: keep the spotlight on the everyday frustrations of ordinary Guyanese and drown out the noise around his legal and diplomatic troubles.
His promise to call in the FBI to investigate the death of 11-year-old Adrianna Younge, a Region Three child whose body was found in a hotel pool earlier this year, drew a strong emotional response from the crowd. So too did his vow to donate his presidential salary to charity, and his repeated claim that he knows how to make money work for the people because he’s done it himself.
But beneath the slogans lies a more complicated picture. While Mohamed paints himself as a successful outsider ready to shake up a corrupt system, he has yet to explain how his administration would govern effectively while under possible international sanctions, or how he plans to engage with foreign investors and development partners who may be wary of doing business with a blacklisted president.
These aren’t just political talking points, they’re structural obstacles that could shape Guyana’s economy and foreign relations for years to come. What is clear is that Mohamed is not backing down.
If anything, his campaign is doubling down on the idea that the system is broken and that his wealth, outsider status, and bold promises make him the man to fix it.
Whether voters will overlook the unanswered questions and legal risks in exchange for what he’s offering, a mix of economic relief and tough talk against corruption, remains to be seen.
For now, Mohamed is forging ahead, leaving the political and diplomatic fallout to linger in the background, while keeping the spotlight fixed squarely on his message to the people.
