US-sanctioned Azruddin Mohamed’s sister, brother-in-law stayed off party’s ballot to avoid consequences – Jagdeo

…as US sanctions bite unsuspecting WIN candidates

General Secretary of the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has pointed out that the sister and brother-in-law of United States (US)-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed have withheld their names from the lists of candidates of his political party, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN).
Hana and Max Dmitriyev are not listed as candidates for WIN.
Jagdeo reasoned that they did not put their names on the list in order to protect themselves from the consequences of being officially associated with a US-sanctioned individual.
On the other hand, unsuspecting Guyanese whose names are on the list are now facing the consequences.
Local commercial banks – Demerara Bank, Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry, and Citizens Bank – have already closed down the personal accounts of several of WIN’s candidates to ensure their respective institutions comply with regulations of the international financial sector as it relates to sanctioned individuals. Additionally, it was reported in another section of the media that a 31-year-old network and system administrator had his employment contract terminated with one of the local banks after his name appeared on the We Invest in Nationhood’s (WIN) Regional List. The man said that the bank held discussions with him and outlined their concerns about the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions related to Mohamed and his candidacy with WIN.
On Thursday, reports surfaced that Citizens Bank has closed the accounts of candidates on the WIN’s list to ensure that they are in compliance with international banking regulations and Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) laws, which are designed to prevent the use of illicit funds.
In this regard, Jagdeo criticised the US-sanctioned businessman for putting the lives of ordinary Guyanese at risk.
“When they were supporting him, it was different; now they’re part of a formal organisation headed by a US-sanctioned individual. The banks have no choice whatsoever, or else they would lose their business with the US.” he highlighted.
“All of the poor people who join his list, now they would not be able to have a bank account… How are they going to conduct their business?”
According to Jagdeo, “I feel sad for those people… I’m sorry for those people because they and their families would be in trouble, and he would laugh at the misery again.”
“Notice his sister and brother-in-law; they didn’t give up their US citizenship, and they are not on the list. They’re every day in the media running all kinds of commentary, cussing everybody under the sun, but they don’t want to run afoul of the US… Poor, unsuspecting people now would face the consequences…,” the vice president pointed out.
Jagdeo has contended that Mohamed does not care about governing or advancing the lives of citizens and is only running for office for selfish reasons.
Mohamed, during his party’s manifesto launch, indicated that he is running for office to get US sanctions lifted.
In 2024, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that it sanctioned Nazar Mohamed and his son, Azruddin Mohamed, as well as several of their companies. Their bank accounts were closed, and cambio licenses were cancelled.
Former Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs Mae Thomas, who was also sanctioned by OFAC, also had her accounts at Republic Bank Limited and Citizens Bank Limited closed.
OFAC sanctions are economic and trade sanctions imposed by the US Department of the Treasury. These sanctions target specific foreign countries, regimes, individuals, and entities deemed to pose a threat to US national security, foreign policy, or economy. OFAC sanctions can involve blocking assets, trade restrictions, and prohibitions on certain financial transactions.
Failure to take action could put local financial institutions at risk of losing their correspondent banking relations, i.e., their ability to trade and conduct business with overseas banks.
The US has already warned that Guyana’s economic transformation is at risk if the US-sanctioned businessman gets near the government, since such an outcome could impact government-to-government relations and private sector transactions.
President Irfaan Ali has already warned that the US-sanctioned businessman is a threat to Guyana’s financial stability, sovereignty, and diplomacy.