Nearly two years after the United States imposed Global Magnitsky sanctions on senior government official Mae Toussaint Jr. Thomas, the matter remains unresolved in Guyana, raising questions about the status of local investigations and whether any action will be taken under domestic law.
Thomas, who served as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs before later being transferred to the Ministry of Labour, was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on June 11, 2024.
According to the Treasury Department, sanctions were imposed on Nazar Mohamed, his son Azruddin Mohamed, their company Mohamed’s Enterprise, and Mae Thomas for their alleged roles in public corruption in Guyana.
In its statement, the Treasury alleged that “Thomas used her position to offer benefits to Mohamed’s Enterprise and Azruddin, among others, in exchange for cash payments and high-value gifts. Thomas misused her position to influence the award of official contract bids and the approval processes for weapons permits and passports on behalf of Mohamed’s Enterprise.”
While the sanctions publicly named Thomas and the Mohameds, the statement also referenced a broader scheme involving “government officials in Guyana.” However, the identities of those other officials have not been disclosed, fueling speculation about whether further information was shared with local authorities and why no additional names have been made public.
Following the sanctions announcement, the Government of Guyana placed Thomas on administrative leave. Reports indicate that she remains on leave while still receiving her salary, as local authorities have remained mum on the status of the investigation involving her and other government officials, and whether any charges are likely.
Thomas also had close ties to the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), having served as a non-voting member of the party’s Central Committee before stepping aside from that role after the sanctions were announced.
At the time, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall described the sanctions as “serious and drastic,” noting that the government had taken steps to protect Guyana’s financial system.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall later disclosed that the government formally wrote to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) in July 2024 requesting supporting evidence related to the sanctions imposed on the Mohamed family, but made no reference to any request concerning Thomas. On March 27, 2025, he announced that the DOJ had responded to the government’s inquiry; however, he again made no mention of Thomas in relation to that response.
According to the Attorney General, the information received from U.S. authorities was forwarded to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) for examination and possible action under local law.
However, no public findings, charges, or enforcement actions have been announced since the information was received.
The sanctions against Thomas were issued under the Global Magnitsky programme, which targets foreign individuals accused of corruption or serious human-rights abuses. The designation restricts her access to the U.S. financial system and bars her from entering the United States.
The case has attracted particular scrutiny because the sanctions announcement also implicated the Mohamed family, whose legal circumstances have evolved very differently.
While Thomas and other unnamed officials referenced in the sanctions statement remain in Guyana without any announced legal action, Nazar Mohamed and his son Azruddin Mohamed are currently fighting extradition to the United States.
The father and son—owners of Mohamed’s Enterprise—are each on $150,000 bail as their extradition matter proceeds before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. They face an 11-count indictment in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, including allegations of wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering and customs violations linked to an alleged US$50 million gold export and tax evasion scheme.
The indictment, returned by a U.S. grand jury in October 2025, carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the most serious charges.
The contrasting circumstances—where the Mohameds are battling extradition abroad while the case involving a sanctioned senior government official remains unresolved locally—continue to fuel public debate about transparency, accountability and the pace of law-enforcement action in Guyana.
