In the stunning move that reeks of both intrigue and power struggles within the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government, President Irfaan Ali’s silence regarding the ongoing battle between Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and the Mohamed family raises many uncomfortable questions. Jagdeo has openly targeted Mohamed Nazar “Shell” Mohamed and his son Azruddin, with the full force of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) behind him, seemingly all over sanctions tied to allegations of smuggling and tax evasion. Yet, in the face of these allegations, President Ali, who has close ties to the Mohamed family, remains conspicuously mute.
Let’s take a step back. The Mohameds have long been benefactors of President Ali’s political rise. It was the Mohamed family that loaned Ali a state-operated vehicle and played a role in his rise to the presidency on August 2, 2020. For Ali to remain quiet while Jagdeo, a central figure in his own government, wages a campaign against them is not just curious, it’s troubling.
The crux of the current issue stems from the U.S. sanctions on the Mohamed family, which were announced by the U.S. Treasury Department in June 2024. The sanctions, reportedly linked to allegations of gold smuggling amounting to US$50 million (or GY$200 million), with the GRA claiming that the Mohameds owe a staggering GY$900 million in taxes on imported vehicles, have put the family in the crosshairs.
Jagdeo has gone so far as to declare that the government has pulled contracts from the Mohameds because of these sanctions. This is where the story becomes farcical.
Jagdeo claims the moral high ground, attacking the Mohameds for their alleged wrongdoings. But let’s not forget: Jagdeo is no stranger to controversy, and his own legacy has been tainted by accusations of financial misconduct. So why is he now positioning himself as the righteous defender of the nation’s fiscal integrity, all while his own record is under a cloud of suspicion?
This raises the key question: Where is President Irfaan Ali in all of this? His silence is deafening, and it smells like something is amiss. Is this an internal turf war within the party, where Jagdeo is trying to assert dominance and sideline Ali and his allies? Or is this just another attempt by Jagdeo to publicly stomp his authority, reminding Ali of his subordinate position and who truly holds the reins of power in Guyana?
What’s even more perplexing is the government’s contradictory stance. If the Mohameds are indeed guilty of the crimes they are accused of — tax evasion, smuggling, and so on — then why is the government not pushing to have them extradited to answer the charges?
And what is this recent brouhaha involving the state’s demand that the Mohamed family declare their gold production for 2024, even as the government it will no longer do business with the Mohameds. This suggests a deeper, more complex issue at play.
But let’s not stop there. The situation gets even murkier when we consider the government’s broader dealings with other figures, like the sanctioned Mae Toussaint Jr. Thomas. Also sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department and the New York Homeland Security Investigations, Toussaint’s role in this saga has gone ‘underground.’
So, what is really going on here? Is this a case of political infighting? A warning shot from Jagdeo to Ali? Or is there something far more insidious at play? The public deserves answers. The silence from the top, from the very man who should be holding his government to account, only adds to the cloud of doubt hanging over this entire debacle. Right now, the only thing that is clear is that something in this entire affair stinks to high heaven.
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The views in Blackout are those of independent writers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Village Voice News
