US-indicted Azruddin Mohamed new Opposition Leader

…APNU boycotts as Amanza Walton-Desir backs WIN leader facing US extradition

United States (US)-indicted businessman Azruddin Mohamed, the Leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party was unsurprisingly elected Leader of the Opposition on Monday, after securing all 16 WIN parliamentary votes, along with the support of Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) leader, Amanza Walton-Desir.
The 12 members of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) did not participate, having walked out of the meeting shortly after Mohamed’s nomination. As expected, Mohamed was the only nomination put forth for the position, given that his WIN party has the largest number of opposition MPs among the 29 opposition seats. Mohamed described the process as “very smooth, no hiccups,” as he spoke with reporters after the election at Parliament building in Georgetown. 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 and mail fraud to money laundering, primarily connected to the export of gold to the US by their company, Mohamed’s Enterprises. The Mohameds are accused of conspiring to defraud the US and Guyanese Governments between 2017 and June 11, 2024. In October last year the US formally submitted an extradition request for the Mohameds. Prior to the indictment the Mohameds were sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2024. Azruddin was also embroiled in several local cases involving alleged tax evasion and also linked to the under-declaration of a Lamborghini valued at US$695,000 but declared at US$75,300.

Amanza Walton-Desir vote
Walton-Desir of Forward Guyana Movement supported Mohamed’s nomination notwithstanding his indictment in the US. “To me it was not optional. To me in the circumstances, 110,000 persons voted for the party. The party they voted for nominated Mr Mohamed as the Leader of the Opposition and its about respecting the vote of the Guyanese,” Walton-Desir said. For her support, Mohamed noted that Walton-Desir can look forward to being rewarded with selection to Parliamentary committees. WIN and APNU have been at loggerheads about a possible cooperation on a shared parliamentary agenda. With APNU’s Ganesh Mahipaul issuing a statement establishing that talks had broken down and APNU was going it alone as the National Assembly prepared to debate the 2026 Budget.

Warned
Attorney General (AG) and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, has argued that if Mohamed becomes the Opposition Leader, then it would be an indictment on not just Guyana and its Parliament but the region as well. House Speaker Manzoor Nadir had expressed concerns ahead of these elections, noting that “I have found myself in this difficult position to hold the election of the Leader of the Opposition when I know that the presumptive Leader of the Opposition to be elected is an international fugitive.”
The US has requested the extradition of the Mohameds to face the indictments, and those extradition proceedings are currently pending in the local courts. However, a court document filed in Florida and seen by Guyana Times states that Attorney Paster would be appearing as counsel for the US “regarding any forfeiture issues” in the case styled United States of America vs. Nazar Mohamed et al.
The Mohameds are accused of conspiring to defraud both the US and Guyanese Governments between 2017 and June 11, 2024. Prosecutors allege that the father-son duo used a scheme to unlawfully obtain property by transmitting communications through interstate and foreign commerce, in violation of US laws.
According to US prosecutors, the goal was to enrich themselves while defrauding the Government of Guyana by evading taxes and royalties on gold exports. They are accused of reusing Guyana Customs declarations and official seals on multiple shipments to falsely indicate that taxes and royalties had been paid. US authorities allege the scheme resulted in more than US$50 million in lost taxes and royalties to the Government of Guyana. Additional indictments detail similar conduct involving shipments of gold, emails allegedly from Nazar Mohamed requesting the sealed boxes from Miami and exports of over 165-kilograms (kg) of gold per shipment destined for Dubai. If convicted, most of the charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and fines of up to US$250,000, while the money laundering charge carries a fine of up to US$500,000 or the value of the laundered property.
The US Government is also seeking forfeiture of certain assets connected to the accused. As a result, the assignment of Attorney Paster to the case is being viewed as significant, particularly pending the outcome of the extradition proceedings.
The Assistant US Attorney assigned to the matter is an experienced prosecutor in high-value forfeiture and transnational corruption cases. Last year, he was part of a prosecutorial team that secured more than US$20 million in a civil forfeiture case linked to a Venezuelan bribery and money-laundering scheme.