Businessman and political candidate Azruddin Mohamed has accused the PPP/C Government of endangering his family’s safety by allegedly financing a foreign lobbying campaign that falsely links him to Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro regime.
Maduro is dubbed a strongman in South America and his sabre-rattling tactics at the border with Guyana has intensified with spurious claims over the resource-rich Essequibo.
In a strongly worded statement, Mohamed said it is now beyond doubt that the Government used taxpayer funds to pay U.S.-based lobbying firm Continental Strategy over US$300,000 to push what he called a “deliberate and dangerous lie.”
He referenced filings under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which purportedly show the Ministry of Foreign Affairs paying the firm US$50,000 per month to circulate damaging claims about him to American lawmakers and institutions.
“The Government is deliberately placing my safety and that of my family at risk,” Mohamed said. “By falsely linking me to a hostile regime, they are using fear to try and delegitimise my candidacy. This isn’t foreign policy, it’s political persecution.”
According to Mohamed, the campaign included tweets describing him as a “pro-Maduro puppet” and a “threat to democracy.” He rejected those claims, citing his “roots” to the Essequibo.
“My father is Essequibo-born. I would never betray the soil my family is rooted in,” he declared. “I stand firmly for Guyana’s sovereignty; I always have and always will.”
“I am currently in consultation with my legal team about pursuing civil and criminal action,” he noted, adding that diplomatic options are also being explored to “ensure this abuse is exposed.”
The WIN party candidate warned Guyanese to take the situation seriously, saying, “If they can do this to me, they can do it to any one of us.”
Mohamed was recently charged in a tax-evasion matter and was sanctioned by the US government for alleged gold smuggling.
