Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday said that the government would act on the investigation into businessmen Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohamed and his son, Azruddin when the United States engages the administration.
Last week, Reuters – one of the world’s largest news agencies – in a report fingered Mohameds in drug trafficking, gold smuggling and money laundering and noted that they were under US probe.
Not long after the story broke, the Mohameds denied the allegation and challenged Reuters to provide evidence.
“The government of Guyana has not been officially informed of any investigations into the Mohameds or what the charges are or the allegations are,” the Vice President told the media at a press conference at Freedom House on Robb Street.
“The government of Guyana will act on this matter when the US engages officially if it engages the government of Guyana. Right now, we have a story in Reuters with some allegations,” the VP Jagdeo added.
Moreover, the Reuters report stated that 70-year-old Nazar Mohamed has long been close to the family of Guyana’s President, Dr Irfaan Ali, who came to power in 2020.
In fact, it was noted that the Mohameds donated heavily to Ali’s 2020 presidential campaign and provided logistical support.
But Jagdeo rubbished this claim, noting that he had known President Ali for a long time. He said the Guyanese Leader came from a long history of his family struggling.
“He earned his position as the presidential candidate of this party. I was the leader of the opposition and General Secretary of the Party. The Mohameds had no role to play in his elections. He worked hard. We campaigned as a party throughout this country, and the people of Guyana chose him.”
Currently, the Mohameds are in a US$300 million investment in a new shore base at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara (WCD), and according to Reuters, ExxonMobil was repeatedly warned of cutting a deal with the businessmen.
But Jagdeo made it categorically clear that the government had no say in this, adding that if the Guyanese businessmen were to be sanctioned by the US, the primary aim would be the interest of Guyana.
“If the US were to impose sanctions, then the government would have to assess how it deals with those sanctions and, of course, take steps to protect the interests of Guyana,” the former President posited.
