By:Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News|
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Susan Rodrigues has confirmed that she owns property and a company in the United States, maintaining that all her assets were legally acquired and are “above board.” However, official documents obtained by HGPTV Nightly News are now adding detail to that disclosure and intensifying political calls for greater transparency.
The minister’s comments came in response to allegations raised by Azruddin Mohamed, leader of We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), who recently released video recordings questioning her accumulation of assets both locally and overseas. Among the claims were assertions that Rodrigues owns multiple properties in Florida.
Addressing those allegations, Rodrigues said she can legally account for all of her assets. While she did not detail specific funding sources, she stated that properties acquired in Guyana and the United States were financed through mortgages. She further noted that, as a politically exposed person, her financial transactions would have been subject to enhanced scrutiny and regulatory checks.
However, documents reviewed by Nightly News provide additional clarity on at least one U.S. property transaction.
Public records from Broward County show that on March 11, 2024, a residential property located at 8601 NW 46th Court in Lauderhill was purchased for US$540,000. The seller is listed as Amil Dial Homes LLC, while the buyer is recorded as Susan Margaret Rodrigues, single, with the property registered in her personal name.
Notably, the Warranty Deed filed with the county records shows no mortgage attached to the transaction, indicating that the purchase was not financed through a bank loan reflected on the public record.
Shortly after that acquisition, a second filing shows the property being transferred from Rodrigues to a limited liability company for a nominal sum of US$10. Such transfers are commonly used legal mechanisms to move personally owned assets into a corporate structure. Public records indicate that the company belongs to the minister.
The documents therefore confirm that Rodrigues personally purchased the property for US$540,000, remained the beneficial owner throughout, and that the subsequent transfer did not constitute a resale but rather a change in how the asset is held.
In effect, the property was always hers.
There is no allegation of illegality arising from these records. However, analysts note that for public office holders, the central issue is transparency rather than criminality. While the documents establish who purchased the property and for what amount, they do not explain how the funds were sourced or whether the asset was declared at each stage in keeping with statutory requirements.
Those unanswered questions have now moved to the forefront of the political debate. At least three political parties have since called for Rodrigues’ removal from office, citing concerns over what they describe as her rapid accumulation of wealth.
For her part, the minister continues to insist that all of her assets are legitimate and properly accounted for. Public scrutiny, however, appears set to continue.
