Political persecution? The Mohameds only have themselves to blame

The Mohameds’ constant crying that they continue to be victims of political persecution at the hands of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government is just a ruse, with the mistaken belief that they can avoid prosecution for crimes they have been accused of.
As night follows day, on a daily basis, the Mohameds have been accusing the PPP/C Government of political persecution. All of their legal troubles, if we were to believe them, are because they entered politics in 2025. Yet, they have admitted, unwittingly, that their troubles started after they were sanctioned by the US in 2024. We recall that they had a liaison with the FBI in Barbados in 2024. Most of their legal troubles since then have been related to the sanctions, none of which has anything to do with President Irfaan Ali, VP Bharrat Jagdeo or the PPP/C Government.
The Mohameds have not made any attempt to defend themselves against the criminal charges they face in America. Instead, they have waged a desperate battle to evade facing the charges by embarking on a path of distraction, accusing the Government of political persecution. Nazar Mohamed himself destroyed the narrative of political persecution. In a letter published in one of the daily newspapers, Nazar Mohamed admitted that their troubles started after the publication of a Reuters article in June 2024 which highlighted the OFAC American sanctions against him and his son.
If any reasonable person examines the facts, the political persecution argument melts away. We know that the sanctions and their legal wrangle with the Americans started more than a year before he entered politics. Locally, charges were made because he was accused of fraud by submitting a false invoice that undervalued a Lamborghini. There are a myriad of traffic offences that ordinary citizens could not escape. The Mohameds simply believe that their wealth confers on them immunity from the societal accountability we are all subjected to. They have created their own set of rules, applied only to them, and they want all of us to honour those rules.
Is it political persecution that Azruddin and Nazar Mohamed have been sanctioned and indicted by the US Government and are currently the subjects of an extradition process, following a request from the USA to the Guyana Government? Who believes that the Americans made up a crime just for the Mohameds? What is the political motive for the Americans framing the Mohameds? If the Guyana Government or the PPP have the power to influence the US Government, why did they not do so before the elections?
As for the extradition process, the Guyana Government is honouring its obligations under international laws. Guyana and the US have an extradition agreement that was signed many decades ago, even before Azruddin Mohamed was born. The extradition process that is presently taking place is not something that was initiated by President Irfaan Ali or the Guyana Government. It was initiated by a request from the US Government. Because of the international agreement, Guyana has to grant the request.
The Mohameds have the right to challenge the extradition, a right, under the Constitution and the laws of Guyana, they have aggressively pursued. Azruddin Mohamed has publicly declared that they will drag this process for more than five years and will exhaust all the provisions that the Constitution and the law provide them with. So far, they have been able to do exactly that. There is no evidence that the Guyana Government has made any effort to jeopardise the rights of the Mohameds as they fight to avoid extradition and face charges in an American court.
The sanctions, the indictment and the request for the extradition of the Mohameds are because of an investigation that the US Government has conducted for more than a decade. The Mohameds have not in any way tried to defend themselves from the charges the Americans have indicted them with. Instead, they have tried to hide behind the mantra that this is all about political persecution.
The fact that Azruddin Mohamed and Nazar Mohamed are unable to travel outside of Guyana is not because of anything the Guyana Government did to them; it is because they cannot get a US visa, and, even if they could obtain a visa to another country, they would be afraid to travel because the long arms of the US Government could reach them anywhere they travel to. This was the same situation drug lords in Colombia, Mexico, and other countries faced before Azruddin.
The Mohameds have cited as evidence of political persecution the several instances where a family member has been subjected to traffic offences. Is this political persecution, or is it that the Mohameds insist on breaching the traffic laws of Guyana? The Mohameds tend to drive vehicles without a licence, without insurance, violating the tint restriction laws, etc. If a person believes that he or she is targeted politically, why would you want to breach the laws of Guyana? When Azruddin Mohamed was stopped on the road for driving a vehicle without adhering to the laws of Guyana, was it political persecution or simply a case of Police Officers doing their work and a case of a man who insists he is above the law?
The Mohameds have declared that they have been vindicated because the Guyana Government has withdrawn all charges made against them in the Guyana courts. They knew, but tried spreading a false message, that the charges were only withdrawn so as to facilitate the extradition hearing. Charges of bribery, fraud and of knowingly presenting the GRA with false statements are serious crimes which they will still have to face sometime in the future. Deferment is not vindication. The truth is that the claim of political persecution is just a desperate attempt to avoid criminal prosecution.