By Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News|
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — The high-stakes political showdown between the executive presidency and the prominent Mohamed family has escalated into an all-out war of words. A fierce battle over disputed text messages, a 150-acre highway ranch, and impending federal extradition proceedings has now taken center stage in Guyana’s political landscape.
The controversy ignited on Sunday when Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed released a detailed video accusing President Irfaan Ali of utilizing over $2.2 billion in state resources to build a private agricultural estate on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway. President Ali swiftly rejected the claims as entirely fabricated.
However, the Head of State went a step further, leveling a explosive counter-accusation. The President disclosed that over the past several weeks, he has received a series of threatening communications from the U.S.-sanctioned and criminally indicted Mohamed family, attempting to force his hand into stalling current legal proceedings.
According to President Ali, the messages explicitly warned that damaging information regarding his private farm would be weaponized and leaked to the public unless his administration made executive “amends” to protect the family from ongoing extradition requests submitted by United States federal authorities. The President claimed a specific, high-pressure ultimatum was sent to him just last week by the patriarch of the family, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed.
“I am prepared to release the full digital trail of these messages so that the Guyanese public can see the contents and the timeline for themselves,” President Ali stated defensively during a side interview. “I will make it absolutely clear that this administration will never give in to illicit pressure or criminal blackmail from anyone, regardless of their financial status or corporate influence.”
The Executive Defense Checklist: Farm Asset Legality
In a comprehensive pushback against the corruption claims, President Ali outlined the legal and financial history of the highway property:
- Pre-Presidential Acquisition: The land was legally acquired and developed well before he assumed the office of the presidency in 2020.
- Audit-Ready Funding: Banking records, private loan disbursements, and personal financial dockets exist to comprehensively prove a transparent, non-state funding line.
- Zero State Subsidies: The agricultural investment has never received preferential tax waivers, specialized drainage assistance, or public equipment allocations from any government ministry.
- Integrity Commission Compliance: The entire estate, including assets and livestock volumes, has been fully and consistently declared to the Integrity Commission as mandated under the law.
“I Have Nothing to Hide” — Nazar Mohamed Fires Back
The text message narrative took a sharp turn late Monday when business mogul Nazar “Shell” Mohamed issued a stinging rebuttal, flatly denying the blackmail claims and challenging the Head of State to immediately publish the correspondence.
In an invited response to Kaieteur News, Nazar Mohamed categorically rejected the President’s characterization of their digital interactions. He argued that the executive branch is misrepresenting a standard communication to shift public focus away from the core corruption allegations surrounding the highway estate.
“I categorically reject the President’s claim that I attempted to blackmail him,” Nazar Mohamed told reporters. “I openly challenge President Ali to release, in its absolute entirety, the text communication I sent directly to his phone on Friday morning. Let the public see the raw text.”
Nazar insisted that his Friday morning message contained no threats, no extortion, and absolutely no reference to the family’s current U.S. treasury sanctions or federal indictments. The business tycoon further disclosed that immediately after receiving the text message on Friday, President Ali grew defensive and attempted to call him back, but Nazar intentionally chose not to answer the President’s call.
“I have absolutely nothing to hide,” Nazar Mohamed maintained. “I invite the President to make the entire communication public today and allow the citizens of Guyana to read the text for themselves. Let the public judge the cold facts rather than relying on unfounded, politically motivated allegations.”
With both sides daring each other to leak the data, the escalating feud has pushed relations between the central government and the prominent corporate family to an absolute breaking point, leaving the public waiting to see who will blink first in this high-stakes game of political poker.
