Chartered Accountant and public commentator Christopher Ram has strongly denied claims that he was paid $50 million to assist the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party in matters related to the 2026 Budget Debate and Estimates.
Ram said the allegation surfaced after a group photograph of him and WIN representatives began circulating online. One publication, he noted, carried the claim as “Breaking News,” alleging that he was paid to prepare the Budget Debate, an assertion Ram described as “entirely false, reckless, and malicious”.
“I have not received, nor have I ever sought or accepted, any payment from Mr. Mohamed, from WIN, or from any sanctioned individual or person acting on behalf of such an individual,” Ram stated.
Ram said the publication was deliberately crafted to suggest that he breached Guyana’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws, an implication he rejected.
WIN is led by Azruddin Mohamed, who is sanctioned by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
The Chartered Accountant, in a Letter to the Editor, said that he was approached by the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate and was asked to meet with WIN parliamentarians to offer general guidance on the Budget Debate and the Estimates process, to which he agreed entirely on a pro bono basis.
Ram further explained that providing technical guidance on budgetary, fiscal, and governance issues is not new to him. For the past 36 years, he has published the annual Focus on Budget, and through his accounting firm has consistently offered unpaid technical support to representatives of nearly every major political party in Guyana, across administrations and political lines.
“This is neither novel nor partisan,” he said, describing the work as part of his longstanding contribution to public discourse.
As a social and economic commentator, Ram said he has a vested interest in ensuring that parliamentary debate on the national budget is informed, robust, and grounded in fact, regardless of which party holds government.
Addressing the financial allegation directly, Ram said he has nothing to hide and openly invited his bankers and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to review his accounts and deposits.
He also dismissed the claim as implausible, noting that if he were capable of commanding a fee of $50 million for two hours of work, he would not still be practising at the age of eighty.
Ram concluded by stating that he reserves all his legal rights in relation to the matter.
