AG challenges Opposition Leader to explain US sanctions, indictments

…LOO deflects, claims sanctions “influenced”

Attorney General (AG) and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, on Friday challenged newly elected Opposition Leader, United States-indicted Azruddin Mohamed, to explain to the National Assembly and to Guyanese the sanctions and federal indictments by the US Government.
“He must come here and account to the people,” Nandlall contended on Friday afternoon during his contributions to the debates on Budget 2026 in the National Assembly.
Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, have been indicted by a grand jury in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida on 11 criminal charges ranging from wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering, primarily connected to the export of gold to the US by their company, Mohamed’s Enterprises.
These indictments follow sanctions imposed in June 2024 by the US Government on the Mohameds and their businesses for large-scale corruption, including gold smuggling, money laundering, and bribery, which involved avoiding over US$50 million in taxes for the Guyanese Government.
Months after the sanctions, the younger Mohamed launched his political campaign, forming the We Invest In Nationhood (WIN) party and contesting the September 2025 General and Regional Elections, which got him elected to the National Assembly as the main parliamentary Opposition with 16 of 29 seats on that side of the House.
During his presentation, Nandlall reminded that the WIN party was born out of the “most dubious circumstances” and “personal necessity”. He highlighted the hypocrisy of the party running its campaign on “anti-corruption and transparency and accountability”.

In fact, the Attorney General, in his calls upon the Opposition Leader, used words of WIN Member of Parliament (MP), Janelle Devi Sweatnam, who said in her debate contributions that “accountability is not optional.”
During his presentation, however, Mohamed deflected from the AG’s challenge, talking instead about another extradition matter. He also made accusations that the US sanctions against him were “influenced”.
Currently, the two Mohameds are facing extradition to the US to answer to the indictments. The father and son duo are fighting the extradition proceedings in the local courts.
While assuring that the Guyanese businessmen are being afforded all the safeguards guaranteed by the Constitution of Guyana, AG Nandlall declared the Opposition Leader must “…explain to the people of Guyana and this House why he unwilling to surrender and go to the US, face his accusers and vindicate his innocence…after all…accountability is not an option. The people of Guyana deserve those explanations.”

The Legal Affairs Minister further pointed to the approximately G$190 billion in tax evasion that the Mohameds avoided paying the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), which had initially filed charges but had them withdrawn to facilitate the extradition proceedings.
“These are serious and damning matters, and that is why we cannot play politics with national matters. You don’t come to the National Parliament… This is the highest representative institution in the country… This is the big league, and if you are not qualified to represent the people of this country, don’t come here.” Nandlall added.
Enforcing anti-money laundering laws
Meanwhile, the Attorney General went on to rely on the presentations made by his colleague, Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond, on the importance of strongly enforcing anti-money laundering laws.
In her debate presentation on Friday, Waldon took a clear hit at the businessman-turned-politician.
“We will take financial crimes seriously,” emphasised the Home Affairs Minister, adding, “We will continue to enforce our anti-money laundering laws… This matters to us because Guyana is on a trajectory of important nation-building. Our financial sector has to be protected, and we will continue to protect it from crimes and proceeds of crimes and anything that will derail the growth and trajectory of nation building that we are on.”
According to Waldron, “If we have a weak anti-money laundering enforcement, correspondent banking relationships suffer, international financial transactions become harder, investors face a higher compliance risk, and the entire economy pays a price.”
In this regard, she emphasised that every person “must ensure that funds, assets and benefits they receive can withstand legal scrutiny.”