APNU says rule of law must apply in US indictments of Mohameds

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) today said that the rule of law must prevail in the matter of the US indictments of businessman and political leader Azruddin Mohamed and his father Nazar Mohamed.

In a statement today, APNU also said it is incumbent on the Mohameds to release the necessary information to possibly absolve themselves of the accusations that they face.

The coalition – which was relegated to third place in the September 1st General Elections by the We Invest in Nationhood Party headed by Azruddin Mohamed – also said that he should provide evidence to establish the alleged criminality of government officials rather than using it as  leverage.

The statement by APNU follows: 

“It would be remiss of the APNU Coalition not to publicly state its position on the recent indictment of designated Leader of the Opposition Azruddin Mohamed and his father Nazar by a US federal court on eleven (11) charges of massive tax fraud and on the accusation by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) that they under-reported income between 2019 and 2023, resulting in billions of dollars in unpaid taxes. In reacting to these developments, we also note that Attorney General Anil Nandlall has declared that the PPP government is ready to facilitate any extradition request by the United States Government.

“Accordingly, we wish to emphasize three points. First, Guyana is a country of laws, laws which must be equally and fairly apply to every citizen. We, therefore, expect that the rule of law and principles of natural justice will run their course in the legal process of establishing the Mohamed’s guilt or innocence.  We will, therefore, object to any political interference or violation of rights as this matter unfolds.

“Secondly, we are of the view that Azruddin Mohamed, considering his new political and constitutional responsibilities to the Guyanese people, must address the charges directly and openly. He should provide the necessary information or evidence to reassure the public of his compliance with the country’s tax laws and therefore of his innocence. General claims of innocence are not enough. As businessmen, he and his father must be in possession of the relevant documents of all the transactions now under scrutiny by local and foreign law enforcement agencies. We encourage him to reveal them to the Guyanese people.

“Thirdly, Mr. Azruddin Mohamed, both in the pre-election and post-election periods, claimed to be in possession of incriminating evidence of criminality by government officials. We would recall that in June this year, he revealed text conversations with President Irfaan Ali that purportedly implicated the President in the Lamborghini tax evasion scandal. Just a few days ago, the WIN leader clearly implied that he is prepared to sing like a canary and make further revelations against government officials. The APNU Coalition firmly believes that should Mr. Mohamed have credible evidence of criminal activity by the government or any other officials, he should see it as his civic and moral duty to present such evidence to the police or to the public.

“That Mr. Mohamed has instead chosen to leverage the information he claims he possesses to engage in veiled threats is not what the Guyanese people deserve.  If he understands his responsibilities as a citizen and as a political leader, he should come clean”.