Georgetown, Guyana – Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo didn’t hold back Thursday as he tore into U.S.-sanctioned businessman and opposition presidential candidate Azruddin Mohamed, dismissing his pledge to refuse a presidential salary as “laughable” and “insulting to the intelligence of the Guyanese people.”
Jagdeo’s fiery remarks came a day after Mohamed, addressing supporters at a political meeting in Parfait Harmonie, claimed he would give up the president’s salary and donate it to charity if elected in the upcoming general elections.
But the Vice President slammed the declaration as a hollow public stunt meant to distract from what he described as Mohamed’s “deeply corrupt past.”
“This is a man who evaded $11 billion in taxes. He hasn’t served a single day in government but has already collected the equivalent of 275 years of a president’s salary,” Jagdeo said at a press briefing, adding that Mohamed’s actions “mock public service and insult real sacrifice.”
Jagdeo accused Mohamed of enriching himself through gold smuggling, tax evasion, and fraud, all while flaunting luxury and privilege that came at the expense of the state.
“The duties he dodged just on his Lamborghini amount to more than ten years of a president’s salary, and now he wants to come off as charitable?” Jagdeo scoffed.
He also reminded the public that Mohamed remains under U.S. sanctions imposed in 2023 for alleged involvement in transnational criminal activity, including gold smuggling and trafficking in persons.
The controversial businessman has denied the charges, but his assets and banking relationships abroad remain frozen due to the U.S. Treasury Department’s sanctions.
“The most corrupt person in this country is now the loudest about corruption,” Jagdeo declared. “He can’t even have a bank account anywhere in the world, that’s how clean he is.”
Jagdeo called on Guyanese voters to recognize what he described as “cheap stunts, empty promises, and a campaign built on deception.”
Mohamed’s campaign has yet to respond directly to Jagdeo’s latest remarks, but his camp has continued to frame his candidacy as a fresh alternative to traditional politics, positioning him as a man of the people.
As the campaign trail heats up ahead of the September 1 elections, the verbal clashes between the ruling PPP and the opposition are intensifying, with corruption, credibility, and character at the center of the political crossfire.
