By: Steven Vickerie.
Officials continue to deny that any political targeting is underway. President Irfaan Ali has maintained that all state actions involving businessman and presidential hopeful Azruddin Mohamed stem from U.S. sanctions and local legal compliance, not political vendettas. Vice President BharratJagdeo has echoed that position, stating that no one, regardless of their wealth or sanction status, is above the law.
Yet, public behavior by state agencies paints a more complicated picture. The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has made several aggressive moves, including the attempted seizure of luxury vehicles and revocation of licenses, even as legal proceedings were still active. Mohamed claims that high-ranking officials — including Jagdeo and Attorney General Anil Nandlall — privately urged him to withdraw from the 2025 presidential race in exchange for leniency on alleged tax liabilities. Both officials have publicly denied that such discussions ever occurred.
This contradiction between official denials and apparent political consequences raises legitimate questions about whether legal enforcement is being used as a tool of political suppression.
Local mainstream media have largely repeated the official narrative, portraying Mohamed’s political emergence as a byproduct of alleged corruption and dubious business practices. However, independent voices and watchdogs, including the Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI) and commentator Christopher Ram, have flagged inconsistencies and troubling opacity. In particular, they question why there is so little transparency in the government’s handling of Mohamed’s tax matters — and why President Ali has not directly addressed Mohamed’s claim that a resolution was reached following presidential intervention.
TIGI has called explicitly for clarity on the roles of both the President and Vice President regarding vehicle valuation disputes — a matter Mohamed claims was resolved after direct contact with the Office of the President. The media’s reluctance to critically investigate these claims and the absence of follow-up coverage raise concerns about bias in reporting and a lack of institutional independence.
The sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) — which accuse Mohamed, his father, Nazar Mohamed, and their business of gold smuggling and tax evasion — are frequently cited by Guyanese officials to justify local investigations and punitive measures. Government leaders have leaned on international findings to deflect scrutiny from their actions.
But sanctions also offer convenient political cover. They reframe domestic enforcement as part of a global accountability effort, shifting public attention away from questions about whether local institutions are acting independently or if they are being mobilized against a rising political challenger.
In that light, the recent police move to reopen the 2021 Ricardo Fagundes murder case has drawn scrutiny. Critics point to the timing — shortly after Mohamed declared his candidacy — and suggest that reviving a cold case may serve more to undermine his public legitimacy than to uncover new evidence. Mohamed has firmly denied any connection to the case and notes that neither the Regional Security System nor the Guyana Police Force has ever listed him as a suspect.
The pattern is becoming harder to ignore. From tax probes and customs seizures to the media narrative and reactivation of criminal cases, a convergence of institutional actions appears aimed at discrediting Azruddin Mohamed’s political ambitions. While government officials maintain these actions are grounded in law and international findings, the absence of transparency and the synchronized nature of these developments suggest something more coordinated.
In conclusion, even if no explicit directive was issued from the halls of power, the intersection of legal enforcement, media framing, and political pressure points to a broader strategy: one that may be designed to neutralize a political rival before the 2025 elections gain full momentum.
