‘I will stake my entire political career on this’ -Jagdeo challenges Mohameds to disprove Venezuelan embassy visit

Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, who is the General Secretary of the governing People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), on Thursday challenged the Mohameds to disprove revelations that Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohamed visited the Venezuelan Embassy.

“I am willing to stake my entire political career on this.

“He [Nazar] went there and the whole family knew why he went there,” Jagdeo said on Thursday during his weekly press conference.

Days ago, Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd revealed that he had cause to summon Venezuela’s Ambassador to Guyana, Carlos Amador Perez Silva, to explain frequent visits by the Mohameds.

Todd said the Venezuelan Ambassador related that the Mohameds applied for visas to enter Venezuela.

Azruddin Mohamed, alongside his father, Nazar, and several of their businesses, were sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury last year. Azruddin has launched a presidential bid with his We Invest in Nationhood party. He has been accused of having ties to the Nicolas Maduro government in Venezuela by US Congressmen; he denied these accusations.

After Todd’s revelations, Azruddin, in a statement issued on the Team Mohamed’s Facebook page, denied visiting the Venezuelan Embassy. He also denied applying for a visa to travel to Venezuela.

Jagdeo said previously that the government has hard evidence to support that Nazar went to the embassy.

On Thursday, he explained that Nazar’s actions are being examined seriously because US government representatives have already implicated Nazar’s son, Azruddin, with ties to the Maduro government. Such actions, he explained, may threaten Guyana’s sovereignty.

Guyana has been locked in a border controversy with Venezuela.

The International Court of Justice is currently considering the substantive merits of Guyana’s case to confirm the 1899 Arbitral Award as a full, final, and perfect settlement of the border dispute. Venezuela recently rejoined the proceedings after boycotting earlier stages, a move Guyana has publicly welcomed.