US mortgage lender confirms process used by Rodrigues to access loan

– Minister says she’s vindicated

Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce Susan Rodrigues says that the United States mortgage lender, AD Mortgage, has confirmed the process she used to access a loan to purchase a property in Florida.
Rodrigues told the Guyana Times that she now feels vindicated after questions were raised about her eligibility to access a loan in the US to buy property there. She had even published all the documents and related records on social media last week to prove that her acquisition of the overseas property was above board.
The local newspaper, Stabroek News, published an article on Saturday in which a representative from the mortgage company detailed the process for a foreign national to access a loan with the firm.

Vindicated
According to the article, the Florida-based firm has a loan programme for non-residents to borrow hassle-free on investment properties. It was explained in the article that a foreign national can qualify for a loan by showing legitimate proof of a credit reference from a local bank in the borrower’s home country and adequate funds to make the purchase and must have a bank account in the US to do the transaction.
Minister Rodrigues had already issued a statement in which she detailed the process to acquire the Florida property.
“The Stabroek News article vindicates that I was able to access a loan from the mortgage company in the US,” Rodrigues told this newspaper.
The Minister had previously admitted to owning assets locally and abroad – all of which she says she can account for and have been declared to the Integrity Commission. This was after US-indicated businessman-turned-politician Azruddin Mohamed alleged that the Minister owns three properties in Florida – something which she rejected.
In a Facebook post on January 6, Rodrigues explained that two of the properties that Mohamed mentioned belonged to her realtor and the Guyana Honorary Consul to Florida, while the third – 8601 NW 46th Ct, Lauderhill, FL – is a property owned by a company in which she has shares.
“This property was in fact purchased with a mortgage from a US financial institution, AD Mortgage… The property is rented, and the mortgage is being serviced by the rental income,” she explained.

Misleading the public
According to the Minister, this information could have been easily verified via public records in the US, but instead, Mohamed chose to intentionally mislead the public.
“Azruddin Mohamed has repeatedly and wrongly equated my assets to my public service salary. This is an unfair and asinine comparison that completely disregards how a person leverages equity to access loans from the banking system. In addition to my public service salary, I receive rental income from other properties and proceeds from our family businesses,” Rodrigues noted.
In fact, she went on to set the record straight on local properties that came into question. The Minister published records to show that she acquired a mortgage locally to purchase properties in a private development at Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara, while her current residence at Herstelling, EBD, was acquired in 2016 – long before she entered government in 2020, serving as Minister within the Housing Ministry.
The Minister had also rejected claims made by Mohamed that she owns a gas station on Camp Street in Georgetown.

Libellous
Rodrigues had said in her statement that Mohamed’s attempt to discredit her reputation was part of a coordinated move to deflect from his own criminality and pending extradition.
Azruddin and his father, Nazar Mohamed, are facing an 11-count indictment in the Southern District of Florida for wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering in connection with alleged financial crimes involving gold exports. The US Government has since requested the extradition of the father-and-son duo. Those proceedings are ongoing in the Magistrates’ Courts.
“The public should know that as a Minister of Government, I am classified as a Politically Exposed Person (PEP). As such, every bank and financial institution in the civilised world demand that I provide, at every step, proof of funds when I am conducting any transaction whatsoever. It is important to note that I am unable to deposit funds in any bank without providing to them documentary proof of how those funds were obtained. I am also unable to wire any funds or conduct any transactions without providing similar documentary proof. The desperate narrative being perpetuated by Azruddin Mohamed that my assets are funded by corruption and illegal activity are libellous and simply false,” she asserted.

Sustained attacks
But even as she feels vindicated about her US property acquisition, Minister Rodrigues lamented the sustained attacks against her. This, she pointed out, was evident in the Stabroek News article.

Rodrigues explained that while the article clearly detailed the easy process for non-residents to access a loan in the US, the headline – “US mortgage company used by Rodrigues says non-residents facility requires reference from local bank, US account” – suggested otherwise.
“They put a misleading headline…as though that was an impossibility [for me to access the loan]. But you have to read the entire article to see that [it was easy]. The person whom they quoted said it was very simple – provide two things, and you could be approved for a mortgage,” she declared.

Discrimination
Moreover, the Minister believes that the attacks against her are discriminatory.
“I am being unfairly and unjustly attacked because of my sexuality,” she claimed.
According to Rodrigues, her unconventional situation – a female Minister with a wife – has made her an easy target for sensationalism.
“I am the easiest target. Everything about me is unconventional and sensational… This attack is rooted in discrimination… They don’t get traction like when they accuse me,” the Minister asserted.
Driving her point home, Rodrigues highlighted that even opposition members have been using her and her wife’s photos in social media posts that are completely unrelated to her or her Ministry.
In one such instance, an Opposition Parliamentarian used the Tourism Industry and Commerce Minister’s photograph in a Facebook post complaining about derelicts on the side of the roads – an issue that falls under the Ministry of Public Works. Another political party, raising issues about services provided by a security firm under the Housing Ministry, also used Rodrigues’ photo.
“People use my image, they use my name, and that is to get the traction and create sensation,” Rodrigues contended.