The allegations surrounding President Dr Irfaan Ali’s alleged involvement in the Lamborghini tax evasion scandal have reached a point that his denials and the counter-accusations are insufficient to establish his innocence. At least, this is according to the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), which is now calling for an independent investigation into the allegations that the President played an active and direct role in the matter.
“Additionally, as it is likely that the Lamborghini scandal may not be the only time the President has allegedly intervened into the work of the GRA, we demand that the scope of the investigation includes the possibility that he is a regular conspirator and facilitator of tax evasion schemes,” APNU said.
It added that every year, Guyana loses “tens of billions of dollars through smuggling and under-invoicing”.
“These are, first and foremost, criminal offences and must be treated as such. But, more so, this is money that could have been spent on the well-being of the Guyanese people. Tax evasion takes food out of the mouths of Guyanese, especially babies and children. If the allegations against President Ali are confirmed, then this is good enough reason for Guyanese to take the opportunity to throw him and his party out of government, come September 1st,” the party said.
President Ali has been accused by U.S.-sanctioned businessman, Azruddin Mohamed, of being privy to the cost of the vehicle and being a central figure in the vehicle’s registration.
But the President has denied these assertions, saying that he does not dictate how the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) conducts its business.
Regarding the sharing of the invoice, “At no point did Azruddin Mohamed share with me the correct invoice indicating a value of US$695,000, which we now know is the accurate cost of the vehicle. Instead, he maintained the false claim that the vehicle was worth US$75,000—the same figure he presented to the Guyana Revenue Authority.”
