President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Tuesday reiterated the government’s firm stance in protecting the country’s borders, people and financial systems in the wake of severe threats to its national security.
Addressing concerns in a statement released on his Facebook page, the Head of State made it clear that it is the responsibility of the government to put measures in place once risks to the country’s national security are identified.
In Guyana’s case, the United States Government has identified well-known businessman Nazar Mohamed, his son Azruddin Mohamed and several businesses as severe risks to Guyana and has since imposed sanctions on them through the U.S. Treasury Department.
“If the [United States] has identified potential risks for Guyana, we have a responsibility to address and go deeper to find out what are the linkages to this risk, what are the connections to this risk, what this risk exposes our country to,” he explained.
In 2024, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the sanctions, accusing the Mohamed’s of public corruption, including evasion of US$50 million in taxes on gold exports. The president explained that individuals who are sanctioned by the United States of America (USA) have the potential to affect Guyana’s diplomatic standing, and the government has a responsibility to protect it the country from being harmed in any way.
“The Government of Guyana has a responsibility to secure our country, secure our people, secure our institutions, and we are investigating all the links that put our financial system, our natural resources, our borders, our national security, [and] our diplomacy at risk,” President Ali emphatically stated.
The head of state reminded the citizens of Guyana that it was not the Guyana government that sanctioned anyone for financial or other illegalities. Rather, he said, it was the U.S. government that did so.
The President pointed out that it was the internationally acclaimed Reuters news agency that initially published information linking the businessmen to allegations of gold smuggling, drug trafficking, and tax evasion.
Noting that Guyana’s security is linked to the country’s relationship with key allies, including the U.S., the president singled out Venezuela as Guyana’s “greatest threat.”
“This is about our security, architecture, and infrastructure. We know, and we are clear, all of us are clear about our key partners in the defense of our borders. This is not about politics. This is our country. This is all about our security,” the head of state said.
He further reiterated that “the Government of Guyana has a responsibility to secure our country, secure our people, secure our institutions, and we are investigating all the links that put our financial system, our natural resources, our borders, our national security, our diplomacy at risk. Because we have to do it, we must do it. In keeping with our national interests.”
The government has since received substantial evidence relating to these charges. This information was obtained from the U.S. Department of Justice, according to Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall.
“The law enforcement agencies, along with the Guyana Revenue Authority, have expressed the opinion that they have sufficient volume of evidence, information, data, documents, whatever we should call it, to proceed to act upon it,” Minister Nandlall said in March.
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