President Dr Irfaan Ali will return as the presidential candidate of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) for the 2025 General and Regional Elections, the Party’s General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday announced.
He gave this assurance during a press conference on Thursday as he responded to concerns regarding the recent Reuters report “U.S. probing Exxon contractor in Guyana for smuggling drugs, gold”, which also sought to cast a shadow on the Guyanese Head of State.
The report outlines that US Government officials have repeatedly warned ExxonMobil to avoid doing business with Guyanese businessmen Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed, whom it said has “close ties” with Guyana’s President.
The article further sought to insinuate that the Mohameds had some influence on Ali becoming President, but Jagdeo – also the Vice President of Guyana – debunked this.
“President Ali earned his position as our candidate. He didn’t come from anyone influencing us. He comes from a long history of a family that has been in the struggle, his grandmother, with Cheddi Jagan, in the early days. So, he earned his position as the presidential candidate of this party,” Jagdeo expressed.
“The Mohameds had no role to play in his elections. He worked hard, we campaigned as a party throughout this country and the people of Guyana chose him…it’s a rumour that Reuters had there that somehow, they [the Mohameds] influenced somehow his selection and elevation into the presidency, absolute nonsense,” he added.
The Vice President also debunked the insinuations in the article that it was through Government connections that the Mohameds benefited from the deal to build a $300 million onshore logistics base, with a consortium, for ExxonMobil.
“We had absolutely nothing to do with their bidding process…ExxonMobil went through a tender, there were several Guyanese companies that were bidding there…the Government of Guyana had no say nor did it influence the contract being given.”
Jagdeo also dismissed speculations in the story that ExxonMobil may be getting its permits from the Government because of the Mohameds’ “perceived close contact with the president”.
In fact, Jagdeo said “the most egregious thing about the relationship with ExxonMobil was done when Irfaan Ali was not President. It was the contract…the permitting here is almost a routine issue once they comply with certain technical specifications.
“I am in charge basically policy-wise of this sector. Not a single day did Irfaan Ali call me or the Mohameds could ever call me and say ‘we are a part of some consortium with Exxon, accelerate something or do something’. I would find it reprehensible and it never happened. The president never intervened one single day on their behalf or anyone’s behalf. He’s a stickler for process in these matters and I know because I am in charge policy-wise of this area.”
Moreover, the Vice President explained that Guyana was a “small country” as he addressed claims of the closeness between President Ali and the Mohameds.
“President Ali meets a lot of people. I have no doubt that he’s friendly with the entire business community…people go to meet the President all the time. It doesn’t mean they get special treatment and this is a small country, the point I’m making, it’s a small country. Knowing a person or maybe sitting down at the same table as the person is not a rarity in Guyana. It doesn’t mean that the person has special treatment. It’s just that we’re small and you bump into people all the time and they have very few activities that the same people go to…it’s the same people you see over and over again.”
In fact, Jagdeo made it clear that the Guyana Government has not been officially informed of any investigation and it will only act on this matter when/if the US engages it officially.
According to Jagdeo, the article is “all rumour-based”. Moreover, he said if the US were to impose sanctions, as expressed in the article, then the Guyana Government would have to make an assessment and then take steps to protect the country’s interests.
Evidence
The Reuters report had noted that ExxonMobil ignored the US Government’s advice to not do business with the Mohameds. This advice, according to the report, was delivered during meetings in late 2021 and early 2022,
“Now, U.S. officials are considering imposing sanctions on the Mohameds, according to four of the sources and two additional people familiar with the matter. That could require Exxon to sever its business relationship with any sanctioned individuals or companies,” the report stated.
The report further alleges that the businessmen “are being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Homeland Security and other U.S. agencies, on suspicions of smuggling Colombian cocaine and illegally mined Venezuelan gold to the United States, Europe and the Middle East, according to the five sources with knowledge of the probe. The Mohameds are also suspected of laundering money for drug traffickers and criminals, including sanctioned Russian nationals operating in the region, according to one of the intelligence reports.”
The Mohameds have since issued a statement challenging the global news agency to produce its evidence to substantiate those claims.
“The Mohameds are surprised and astonished that such a seemingly reputable international news agency would publish such allegations that are devoid of any substance. It is disappointing that Reuters would permit itself to be the tool of misinformation and an agent of the detractors of the Mohameds. The Mohameds consider this report a most vile, diabolical sloppy hatchet job, published with the primary intention to create the appearance that the Mohameds are in a position of conflict with the US law enforcement agencies. The tone, tenor, and content of the report clearly aim to lower the Mohameds’ estimation in the eyes of Guyanese, the international community, and to destroy their business relations, integrity, and credentials. In conclusion, we remain fully committed to upholding the law and conducting our business operations with the highest standards of legitimacy and integrity,” the statement had outlined.
