Tom Locke, a global security expert who retired as the acting Assistant Director of the FBI’s Inspection Division in 2012, has stepped forward to vouch for the reputation of businessman Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, saying false accusations have been made against him.
Locke is Managing Director of Government Affairs of the BGR Group, which lists itself as Washington’s premier, bipartisan lobbying firm; Locke recently carried out an independent inquiry of the allegations made against Mohamed.
Mohamed is one of the country’s largest gold traders and also works in currency exchange and real estate. Recently, ExxonMobil’s local subsidiary inked an agreement to lease a shorebase being built at Vreed-en-Hoop by Mr Mohamed’s company in partnership with two other local companies.
Unsubstantiated allegations against Mr Mohamed, ranging from buying gold illegally from Venezuela, gun running, drug dealing, terrorist financing and murder, have sullied his reputation and prevented him and his family from getting a U.S. visa, Locke said, in a press handout. Locke has assisted clients in visa-related matters and those unjustifiably named to Global “Watch Lists,” the BGR website states.
He found that Mr Mohamed has not been investigated in connection with any crime nor has he been arrested of charged with a violation of any sort.
One of the focus of Locke’s investigation was the March 2021 murder of Ricardo Fagundes, known as “Paper Shorts.” There were allegations by a Policeman that the murder was connected to the Mohameds and that the family had paid a bribe to cover up the case.
Guyana’s Minister of Home Affairs made an official request for investigative services to the Regional Security System (RSS), Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) and the RSS facilitated the request and a former Detective Chief Inspector of the Metropolitan Police Service, Serious and Organised Crime Command (United Kingdom) was deployed to provide assistance. They found there was no cover up by the Police.
Locke said there was a time-stamped video showing the employee who was accused of the murder being at work and away from where the murder took place on Main Street, Georgetown.
Locke indicated that the fact that Mr Mohamed’s businesses must pass certain financial and security checks should give credence to his business dealings as being above board.
He cited the fact that Mr Mohamed has stringent written guidelines he must abide by to do business with companies such as ExxonMobil, Haliburton, Champion X, Stena Drilling, Peterson Energy Logistics, Aronco and Baker Hughes.
Further, Locke pointed out that Mr Mohamed has accounts with all of the banks in Guyana and to have those accounts meant passing the Know Your Customer (KYC) inquiries to comply with U.S. KYC guidelines and regulations.
Locke added that Mr Mohamed had been issued numerous U.S. visas in the past decades and had travelled to the United States many times and never violated the rules.
