GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister, Susan Rodrigues, Tuesday dismissed allegations of corruption leveled against her by the leader of the main opposition We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, Azruddin Mohamed, saying that he is involved in a campaign “to discredit my reputation and deflect from his own criminality and pending extradition”.
Her denial also comes in the wake of a call by the opposition coalition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), for her to resign as a government minister amid growing questions about her amassing of wealth and the purchase and construction of high-priced properties in and out of Guyana.
In a statement, the APNU said the accusations raise “serious and troubling” questions that can no longer be ignored, noting that Rodrigues, in the National Assembly, had publicly stated that she came from humble beginnings and that her family was part of the working class.
The APNU said, against that backdrop, the revelation that, after just five years as a Government minister, she has reportedly accumulated significant wealth and valuable assets at home and abroad is deeply concerning and demands a full, independent investigation.
But in her statement, Rodrigues said that Mohamed, who, along with his 78-year-old billionaire father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, is facing extradition to the United States on multiple charges, including wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, aiding and abetting, “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,” Rodrigues said, adding that “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 into any bank account without providing 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,” she said, adding that the “desperate narrative” being perpetuated by the WIN leader, that my assets are funded by corruption and illegal activity, is libelous and simply false.
She said that Mohamed, in his latest video recording, made several allegations against her, including that she owns three properties in Florida, saying that one of the addresses disclosed “is the home address of the Realtor, who graciously, temporarily allowed me to use her address as my mailing address.” At the same time, another 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 is that of a property owned by a company of which I have shares,” she added.
The Tourism Minister said that her property was purchased with a mortgage from a US Financial Institution, AD Mortgage, adding, “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 rental income is servicing the mortgage. All of this is public record in the State of Florida and could have been easily verified by Azruddin Mohamed. He chose instead to mislead the public intentionally,” she said.
She said that the WIN leader has “repeatedly and wrongly equated my assets to my public service salary,” saying “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,” she said, also disputing other allegations of her income.
“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, income, and 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,” she added.
and then 