Allegedly just over a month after two United States Congress members, Carlos Gimenez and María Elvira Salazar, described local businessman and We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party leader Azruddin Mohamed as “Maduro’s puppet,” Venezuela’s Ambassador to Guyana, Carlos Amador Perez Silva, has confirmed that Mohamed has applied for a Venezuelan visa.
The disclosure was made by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd, who also revealed that Mohamed, along with other members of his family, has been making frequent visits to the Venezuelan Embassy in Georgetown.
However, in a strongly worded response, presidential candidate Azruddin Mohamed has denied the allegations, calling on the Government of Guyana to “produce the evidence.” Mohamed said he has never visited the Venezuelan Embassy or applied for a visa.
In a media statement posted to his social media page, Mohamed stated:
“I categorically reject and denounce the baseless, malicious, and politically motivated lies being peddled against me. I have never visited the Venezuelan Embassy, nor have I applied for a visa to travel to Venezuela.”
He described the accusations as part of a broader “smear campaign” aimed at distracting from allegations of corruption within the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government, which he claims are gaining traction on social media.
“This smear campaign is meant to be a distraction from the PPP’s alleged corruption being exposed making headways on social media,” Mohamed said. “The PPP is attempting to divert attention from the truth and suppress the voices exposing their wrongdoing.”
He further challenged the Venezuelan Embassy to present any proof of his presence there or any visa application submitted on his behalf.
“To this end, I challenge the Venezuelan Embassy to produce the proof. Present any record of my entry into the Embassy. Show the Guyanese people a single shred of documentation of me applying for a visa.”
Mohamed also accused the Government of Guyana of coercing the Venezuelan Ambassador into misleading the public, suggesting that the government is colluding with the Venezuelan regime to undermine him and the WIN party.
“It is off-putting that this administration would stoop to such depths, squandering state resources in a quest for political mileage against me and, by extension, the WIN party,” he said. “To coerce the Venezuelan Ambassador into misleading the Guyanese public speaks to the lengths this administration is willing to go, using its ministers as pawns.”
He warned that such alleged coordination between the two governments could threaten Guyana’s national interests.
“If backdoor meetings are being [held] to concoct lies, such deception puts our territorial integrity at risk…With leaders like this, our sovereignty could be bartered away behind closed doors,” Mohamed said. “All of Guyana must recognise this for what it is — the Ali administration is in bed with the Government of Venezuela, and this presents a looming danger to our national sovereignty.”
Mohamed concluded his statement by urging his supporters to remain focused ahead of the September 1 elections.
“I urge my supporters, let us not be distracted by lies but remain laser-focused on our mission. September 1 is not just polling day; it is a turning point in our nation.”
It is left to been seen if President Irfaan Ali will direct his foreign affairs minister to produce the evidence as demanded by Mohamed.
