GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC -President Irfaan Ali says a recent High Court ruling has the potential to derail the work of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the country’s ability to collect taxes.
He has described the ruling as fundamentally flawed, as it exposes the country’s tax system to criminality and fraud.
THE GRA has already indicated its intention to appeal the ruling handed down by High Court judge, Justice Gino Persaud, in the civil case against the leader of the main opposition We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, Azruddin Mohamed, involving the importation of a 2020 Lamborghini Roadster SVJ.
The GRA, in a statement, argued that a key aspect of the court’s decision is legally unsound and that Justice Persaud delivered his ruling when the related criminal charges had already been withdrawn.
It said as a result, the judgment is now “moot and of academic importance only,” except for one critical issue that the court did not address.
“The Honourable Court did not address itself to the issue of fraud regarding submissions supported with evidence made by the Revenue Authority,” the GRA said, arguing that this omission leaves a substantive question unresolved, even though the broader matter may be considered academic following the withdrawal of criminal charges.
The statement said the court “proceeded to make an extraordinary pronouncement to the effect that the Revenue Authority has no power to reassess taxes in the circumstances,” adding that it is “of the respectful view that this latter pronouncement is wholly erroneous in law and not in line with the relevant provisions of the tax laws of Guyana”.
Last Thursday, Mohamed and his billionaire businessman father, Nazar Mohamed, appeared in a magistrate’s court to answer multiple tax-related charges. But when the matter was called, the GRA informed the court that it had decided to withdraw and discontinue the charges entirely. No reasons were given for the decision.
Ali, in a broadcast, said many professionals believe the ruling could incentivise the falsification of documents and cripple post-clearance verification, noting that this verification process is the mechanism that allows the GRA to review. Correct declarations after goods have passed the port of entry.
He said that the government is pleased and reassured by the November 17, 2025, ruling of the Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Madam Justice Roxanne George, which he called compelling, intellectually rigorous, and firmly rooted in the rule of law.
“Justice George’s ruling brings clarity to an area of significant public importance. It upholds the authority of the GRA and restores rationality to the law,” President Ali said, adding that post-clearance assessments are neither new nor optional and that they have been a core element of customs administration for decades and are essential to safeguarding state revenue.
He said that the GRA’s ability to verify values and recover correct taxes is an internationally recognised standard endorsed by the World Customs Organisation and welcomed the decision of the GRA to appeal the matter.
“If Justice Persaud’s decision is permitted to stand, the implications would be profoundly damaging. No matter how falsified a declaration is, no matter what is discovered after the ruling, it would bar the State from its rightful revenue. That is wholly inconceivable in a lawful and orderly revenue system.”
Ali said the ruling would effectively render the customs administration toothless, embolden dishonest declarations, and deprive the country of significant revenue, particularly in cases such as the one under scrutiny, which involved evidence of falsified documentation linked to a luxury vehicle.
and then  and the country’s){kind=link}