Tourism minister denies corruption claims, hits back at U.S.-sanctioned Mohameds

Tourism Minister Susan Rodrigues has rejected allegations that she improperly benefited from government land or assets, pushing back strongly against claims made by the Mohamed family, a prominent business clan sanctioned by the United States and facing extradition.

Rodrigues said she owns properties that were purchased privately and not through any government housing or land allocation programme. She said she has never applied for or received land from the Central Housing and Planning Authority or any other state agency.

“All certificates of title bearing my name were acquired from private individuals through agreements of sale,” Rodrigues said, adding that she could provide documentary evidence at any time. She said the properties highlighted in a video circulated by her accusers were not owned by her.

Rodrigues also said one of the buildings referenced by the family was acquired in 2016, before she entered government and at a time when her party was not in office.

She said she holds shareholdings in several local and international companies, all of which have been declared to Guyana’s Integrity Commission, as required by law.

The minister accused the Mohamed family of attempting to deflect attention from their own legal troubles. Members of the family were sanctioned by the United States in 2024 under Washington’s anti-corruption framework, which targets foreign individuals accused of significant corruption, money laundering, and other serious crimes.

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, the sanctions involved allegations of large-scale gold smuggling, tax evasion, and money laundering.

The Mohameds, namely Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed, are facing extradition to the United States owing to charges stemming from the sanctions.