Former Housing Minister Annette Ferguson has condemned President Irfaan Ali’s defence of questions surrounding the assets of Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Minister Susan Rodrigues, contrasting it sharply with what she described as the swift investigation of Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) officials.
In a letter to the Editor, Ferguson argued that while lower-ranking public servants are quickly placed under investigation, serious allegations involving senior ministers and officials are downplayed or dismissed. She said that this pattern exposes a ‘troubling double standard” in governance.
Over the weekend, President Ali rejected calls for an investigation, saying the minister had adequately explained her assets through public statements and statutory declarations.
According to Ferguson, the President’s public intervention to “defend or minimise concerns” about ministerial assets sends a damaging message that political officeholders are shielded from accountability, even as ordinary citizens and public officers face the “full blunt of the law.”
“This posture is an insult to the people of Guyana,” Ferguson wrote, insisting that allegations of corruption involving senior officials should trigger independent and credible investigations rather than public defences.
She pointed to the ongoing scrutiny of GRA officers, whom she said were, by all indications, performing their lawful duties.
Ferguson maintained that this pattern is not isolated, but reflective of a broader culture in which allegations against senior government figures are “trivialised, deflected, or ignored altogether.”
The former Housing Minister also questioned the President’s credibility on impartial investigations, referencing his previous 19 fraud charges and longstanding public allegations involving Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, including claims that major transactions were conducted from his private residence.
Ferguson ended by questioning whether this is the Guyana being built and the standard of governance being passed on to future generations.
Earlier this month, the GRA reported that several of its employees were under investigation for allegedly aiding and abetting We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Leader and US-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed in the transfer of eleven vehicles. The authority said the transfers, which occurred between November 27, 2025, and December 5, 2025, were in breach of regulations governing the transfer of motor vehicles as well as anti-money laundering laws.
