Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed has unleashed a fresh political firestorm over billions of dollars in government contracts awarded to Sigma Engineers, alleging that the company’s rapid emergence in Guyana is linked to President Irfaan Ali’s brother, Aqtar Ali, and raising questions about political access, procurement and the use of state resources.
In a video released Monday, August 17, 2026, Mohamed said he was placing “the facts, the dates, the contracts, and the documents” before the Guyanese people.
“We thought we have seen it all. We were wrong. Because what we’re about to put to the people of Guyana include the issues of political access, government contracts, and the use of state resources to an entirely different level.”
Mohamed alleged that Aqtar Ali, who lived in Canada before returning to Guyana in 2020, was not previously a businessman and returned around the time his brother became President.
He said Sigma Engineers Limited was incorporated in Guyana on October 6, 2022, with Tamjeed Rahmaan a Bangladeshi-Canadian and associate of Aqtar Ali, listed in multiple capacities.
Mohamed’s video presentation (seen below) showed a paper trail, including incorporation records and details of government contracts, and questioned the speed with which Sigma became involved in major public works.
“How does a newly incorporated company move from being a newly registered entity to receiving billions of dollars in government contracts in five working days?”
“Five working days, a company is registered and multi-billion dollar contracts follow. Is that coincidence? Was this company really starting from scratch? Or was the road to these contracts already paved before the company was even registered?”
Among the contracts highlighted by Mohamed were projects at Caledonia, Cummings Lodge and Bachelor’s Adventure. He also cited subsequent contracts for water treatment facilities and well drilling, arguing that the company’s government business expanded rapidly.
Mohamed said the contracts awarded to Sigma now exceed $12 billion and questioned the procurement process, particularly where multiple companies reportedly submitted bids.
“Why are contractors being invited to compete if the outcome is already known? Why are nine bidders being rejected while the company connected to the President’s brother repeatedly receives the work? And what is happening to the procurement process in this country?”
He further alleged that personnel within GWI had advised him that markups on some contracts were between 70 and 100 percent, while Guyanese continue to complain about poor water quality and unreliable water supplies.
Sigma rejects allegations
Hours after Mohamed’s video was released, Sigma Engineers categorically rejected the allegations and what it described as serious misrepresentations of the facts.
The company confirmed that its engineering business has been incorporated and operating in Bangladesh since 2003, while its Guyanese entity, Sigma Engineers Ltd Inc., was registered locally on October 6, 2022.
Sigma said its first contract held by the Guyanese entity was awarded in 2026 through a national competitive bidding process. It also said it has engaged legal counsel and intends to pursue appropriate legal action.
That account, however, raises a significant question when placed against government procurement records.
Government records show that Sigma Engineers Limited of Bangladesh was already being awarded major Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) contracts in 2022, the same year the Guyanese entity was registered.
The distinction between the Bangladeshi company and the Guyanese-incorporated entity therefore becomes central to the controversy. Sigma maintains that the Guyanese entity received its first contract in 2026, while the available government records indicate that a company bearing the Sigma Engineers Limited name was already securing GWI contracts in Guyana four years earlier.
That discrepancy is likely to fuel further questions over the relationship between the Bangladeshi company, the Guyanese entity and the individuals identified by Mohamed.
Mohamed’s presentation went beyond the company’s registration and contracts. He also raised questions about Akhtar Ali’s alleged access to State House and the role of Junaid Bayat, whom he identified as a religious leader who later became a director of Sigma.
Mohamed questioned what qualifications and business experience Bayat brought to an engineering and water-treatment company accessing major public contracts.
He also alleged that Sigma was granted access to community land in Eccles for the construction of a bond, while residents complained about dust, noise and disruption.
Documents now at centre of dispute
Mohamed’s allegations are particularly significant because his presentation was not limited to political rhetoric. During the recording, he displayed documents and cited specific dates, contract values, procurement decisions and company records to support his claims.
Sigma has categorically rejected the allegations and said it intends to take legal action, but its statement did not, in the material released following Mohamed’s video, provide a point-by-point rejection of every document, contract date or figure cited by the Opposition Leader.
Similarly, there has been no categorical public response from President Ali’s brother directly addressing the specific allegations about his alleged relationship with Sigma that Mohamed raised in the recording.
The controversy therefore leaves several questions hanging over the government’s procurement system: when did Sigma’s Guyana operations actually begin, which Sigma entity received the various GWI contracts, who ultimately controlled or benefited from those entities, and whether all contracts were awarded through transparent and competitive processes?
At stake is more than the fortunes of a single engineering company. The allegations go directly to public confidence in the management of billions of dollars in state contracts and whether political connections can provide privileged access to public resources.
As Mohamed declared:
“More than 12 billion dollars in contracts for Sigma Engineers.”
Those allegations, now disputed by the company, are likely to demand more than competing statements. They call for the publication and examination of the underlying procurement, incorporation, ownership, bid evaluation and contract documents so that the public can determine where the facts lie.
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Sigma’s full statement issued below:
Sigma Engineers Ltd Inc. has taken note of statements made by Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Azruddin Mohamed, concerning the company and its operations in Guyana.
The company categorically rejects the allegations and what it considers to be serious misrepresentations of the facts. Given the nature of the statements made, Sigma Engineers Ltd Inc. has engaged legal counsel and intends to pursue appropriate legal action.
For the benefit of the public and to ensure that the facts are accurately represented, the company wishes to clarify the following:
- Sigma Engineers Ltd was not established five days before receiving a government contract. Sigma Engineers Ltd has been incorporated and operating in Bangladesh since 2003.
- Sigma Engineers Ltd Inc. was registered in Guyana on October 6, 2022. The company’s first contract in Guyana was awarded in 2026, following a national competitive bidding process conducted through the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).
- Mr. Mohamed Aqtar Ali has been engaged by Sigma Engineers Ltd Inc. in Guyana in a senior technical consultant capacity. He has no affiliation with the company in Bangladesh. Sigma Engineers Ltd Inc. remains committed to conducting its operations in accordance with the laws and regulations of Guyana and to maintaining high standards of professionalism, accountability and integrity.
The company respects due process and believes that public discourse concerning businesses operating in Guyana should be grounded in accurate and verifiable information. As the company continues to engage its legal counsel on this matter, further information regarding its operations and the issues raised will be provided at the appropriate time.
