GEORGETOWN, GUYANA – The political temperature in Guyana has flared after Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo claimed there is video evidence showing US-sanctioned businessman and presidential hopeful Azruddin Mohamed and his father visiting the Venezuelan Embassy in Georgetown to apply for visas; an allegation Mohamed has flatly denied.
Speaking before an animated crowd at a PPP/C public meeting in Alexander Village on Wednesday night, Jagdeo said the Venezuelan Ambassador himself told Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd that the Mohameds were seeking visas to travel to Venezuela.
“Why are the Mohameds applying for visas to Venezuela now, of all places?” Jagdeo asked the crowd. “Because Venezuela has no extradition treaty with the United States — and links are being formulated. There is video evidence of the Mohameds going into the Venezuelan Embassy.”
The claim is the latest twist in a saga that began in June 2024, when the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Azruddin, his father Nazar, and their businesses. Washington accused Mohamed’s Enterprise of smuggling about 10,000 kilograms of gold out of Guyana between 2019 and 2023, dodging more than US$50 million in duty taxes.
Azruddin has since launched his own political party, “We Invest in Nationhood,” and is contesting the September 1 elections as a presidential candidate.
But the visa allegation has taken on new geopolitical weight. Just this week, US Congressman Carlos Gimenez accused Venezuela of trying to meddle in Guyana’s internal politics, calling Mohamed a “pro-Maduro puppet candidate.”
Minister Todd confirmed on Tuesday that he had summoned Venezuelan Ambassador Carlos Amador Perez Silva for a meeting. According to Todd, the ambassador admitted the Mohameds had applied for visas to travel to Caracas — something Azruddin insists never happened.
Todd warned that the situation raises “grave” concerns about foreign interference, particularly in an election year. “We know foreign actors can and will interfere,” he said. “If the Mohameds are close to Nicolas Maduro’s regime, that poses a serious threat to our sovereignty and could damage our relations with the United States and our traditional partners.”
For now, the question hangs in the air: Did the Mohameds really go to the Venezuelan Embassy — and if so, why? With elections just weeks away, the answer could have consequences far beyond Guyana’s borders.
