Jagdeo says Mohameds aligned with AFC

General Secretary of the ruling PPP Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday pointed to the connections between the Alliance for Change (AFC) and local businessmen Azruddin Mohamed and his father Nazar Mohamed, saying that the people will not be fooled again by the AFC, no matter which new face they bring to try and win back political power.

Speaking at a news conference at his party’s Freedom House headquarters in Georgetown, Jagdeo noted the close connection between the Mohameds and AFC leadership, specifically pointing to a meeting involving Azruddin Mohamed, prominent AFC lawyer Nigel Hughes, and AFC General Secretary Raphael Trotman.

“They know this Azruddin and his father went to see Nigel Hughes, and Nigel Hughes brought the political leader of their party—Trotman—to sit in at the meeting because he wanted legal advice from Trotman; Trotman wrote down the legal advice,” Jagdeo stated.

Jagdeo asserted that shortly after this meeting, individuals associated with the AFC began working closely with Azruddin Mohamed.

“Immediately thereafter, all the AFC candidates and people who were working with them in the past started working with Azruddin, all of them. Because it’s another ploy to fool people again.”

Prominent supporters of the AFC have also been consistently sharing content from Azruddin Mohamed’s Facebook page.

Jagdeo said people will not be fooled by the lifty promises of the AFC. This, he said, happened when they campaign on better salaries and working conditions, only to close down sugar estates, leaving people without money for food, causing children to drop out of school.

The Mohamed family came under international scrutiny last year when sanctions were imposed by the United States government, citing allegations of corruption and involvement in illicit activities.

In response, Guyanese authorities have committed to addressing corruption concerns. The cambio licence of the Mohameds were revoked and so were licences for vessels they used for shipping.

Triggered by a Facebook post, the GRA has also levied against the Mohameds saying they either undervalued luxury vehicles to pay hundreds of millions less on taxes or claimed that they were re-migrants to avoid paying duties.