Please see statement by Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Susan Rodrigues:
It has once again come to my attention that there is a coordinated attempt by Azruddin Mohamed with clear intent to discredit my reputation and deflect from his own criminality and pending extradition.
Azruddin Mohamed has taken public information and twisted it to satisfy his own perverse narrative. I said in an earlier statement, that I own assets locally and abroad which have all been declared to the Integrity Commission, and all of which I can account for.
The public should know that as a Minister of Government, I am classified as a Politically Exposed Person (PEP). As such, every bank and financial institution in the civilised world demands that I provide at every step, proof of funds when I am conducting any transaction whatsoever. It is important to note that I am unable to deposit funds in any bank without providing to them documentary proof of how those funds were obtained. I am also unable to wire any funds or conduct any transactions without providing similar documentary proof. The desperate narrative being perpetuated by Azruddin Mohamed that my assets are funded by corruption and illegal activity are libelous and simply false. Imagine the irony of the Mohamed’s, accused by international organisations of drug trafficking, money laundering, gold smuggling and links to Hezbollah and other terrorist organisations, compounded by a US indictment, accusing me of wrong-doing.
Azruddin Mohamed in his latest video recording made a number of allegations against me.
1. That I own three properties in the State of Florida and read out the addresses. Address one: 3037 SW 179th Ave., Miramar, FL is the home address of the Realtor, who graciously, temporarily allowed me to use her address as my mailing address. Address two: 3550 SW 124th Ave., Miramar, FL, is the property of Guyana’s Honorary Consul to Florida. Both of these can be independently verified since they form part of the public record. The third address, 8601 NW 46th Ct. Lauderhill, FL is that of a property owned by a company of which I have shares.
2. Azruddin Mohamed stated that I purchased this property in full on March 11, 2024. This property was in fact purchased with a mortgage from a US Financial Institution, AD Mortgage. As evidence, I have attached my annual tax and interest statement for 2024 showing the date and value of the mortgage. The property is rented, and the mortgage is being serviced by the rental income. All of this is public record in the State of Florida and could have been easily verified by Azruddin Mohamed. He chose instead to intentionally mislead the public.
3. Azruddin Mohamed has repeatedly and wrongly equated my assets to my public service salary. This is an unfair and asinine comparison that completely disregards how a person leverages equity to access loans from the banking system. In addition to my public service salary, I receive rental income from other properties and proceeds from our family businesses.
4. My source of funds for the acquisition of the two properties in a private development at Peter’s Hall was also questioned. In the interest of transparency and to remove any doubt as to source of funds, I am publishing Certificates of Title for Lots 1242 and 1243 Peter’s Hall which prove that I acquired mortgages on those properties when I purchased them.
5. Another claim by Azruddin Mohamed is that I own the property situated at Lot 946 Herstelling, where I currently reside. Attached is the Certificate of Title showing the rightful ownership and that it was acquired in the year 2016, long before I entered government.
6. Azruddin Mohamed and his acolytes have also accused me of acquiring a gas station located at 224 Camp and New Market Streets in Georgetown. This is also not true. The gas station has been owned by Shell Antilles and Guianas Limited since 1962 and never changed ownership. The transport for this property is part of the public record and can be easily verified. My partner is the operator of this establishment. We do not own any of the assets on that property.
This clearly establishes a pattern of lies peddled by Azruddin Mohamed to cause public confusion and to distract from his own criminality. While Azruddin Mohamed has deceived people about his business, his income and his life, I can produce evidence to clear my good name. Azruddin Mohamed still has to answer for the international reports on his involvement in gold smuggling, drug trafficking, money laundering and other criminal activities from which his wealth was acquired. This is the same individual who said his party’s symbol is a leopard instead of a jaguar.
