‘Country still wants to know why Nazar Mohamed visited the Venezuelan Embassy’ – Jagdeo

“We still want to know why Nazar Mohamed went to the Venezuelan Embassy.”

That was the declaration of Vice President and PPP/C General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday as he pressed for answers from the U.S.-sanctioned businessman.

At his weekly press conference, Jagdeo said Nazar Mohamed has repeatedly avoided a direct answer on the matter, even when questioned by Stabroek News in a recent interview.

“He knows he went there. The entire public wants to know what he was doing there,” Jagdeo said.

“Was he getting information from the Venezuelans to help his campaign? Was he trying to flee Guyana? Or was it a benign purpose?

“Nobody wants to go to Venezuela now— [He should provide answers] especially in light of people saying Mohamed is a Maduro puppet and reports that Venezuelan generals are linked to gold smuggling in Guyana.”

Jagdeo emphasised that the Venezuelan Ambassador confirmed that Nazar visited the embassy in Georgetown and applied for visas. The revelation was first made by Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd two weeks ago.

“They can’t say yes because the next question is why,” Jagdeo contended.

“They’ve been hiding all week, putting out statements on other things, but avoiding this one. The Ambassador has already confirmed it.”

Jagdeo went further, saying there is video evidence of the Mohameds visiting the embassy, and described the unanswered question as a “national security issue” for Guyana.

In his interview with Stabroek News, Nazar Mohamed did not give a direct response when asked about the embassy visit. Instead, he accused the PPP/C of orchestrating a smear campaign against his son, Azruddin, who recently launched a presidential bid with the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party.

“I’m not going to answer that,” Nazar was quoted as saying.

Jagdeo dismissed this as a deflection. “He did not say yes or no; he avoided the question. He framed it as political allegations but gave no confirmation or denial.”

The Mohameds, along with several of their businesses, were sanctioned last year by the United States Department of the Treasury over alleged corruption and ties to illicit gold trading. US lawmakers have also accused Azruddin Mohamed of having links to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s regime.

Guyana and Venezuela remain locked in a border controversy, with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) currently considering the substantive merits of Guyana’s case to confirm the 1899 Arbitral Award as a final settlement of the boundary.

Against that backdrop, Jagdeo argued that Nazar Mohamed’s unexplained embassy visit raises troubling questions.