Several Toshaos of North Rupununi villages in Region Nine (Upper Takutu- Upper Essequibo) have responded to a letter from Mr. Charles Sugrim, representative of Team Mohameds, about a planned visit to their communities.
The Toshaos, in their letter, acknowledged philanthropy work done by businessman Azruddin Mohamed but said they are also aware of allegations of criminal activities levelled against him. As such, permission to enter their communities was denied.
See below the full letter issued:
With reference to the subject matter, we the undersigned leaders, on behalf of our residents, do hereby acknowledge receipt of your correspondence.
As leaders, we note Mr. Azruddin Mohamed’s work in philanthropy in selective parts of the country. However, based on our research in considering the application to enter our Village lands, we have become aware of several international allegations of criminal activities conducted by Mr. Azruddin Mohamed.
Based on our findings, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has announced sanctions against Mr. Azruddin Mohamed for his roles in corruption in Guyana.
Additionally, there are allegations that Mr. Mohamed evaded Guyana’s tax on gold exports and defrauded the Government of Guyana of tax revenues by under-declaring his gold exports to the Authorities. It has been stated that between 2019 and 2023, Mr. Mohamed omitted more than 10,000 kilograms of gold from import and export declarations and avoided paying more than $50 million in duty taxes to the Government of Guyana.
Also, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has said that it has irrefutable evidence of tax breaches by Mr. Azruddin Mohamed over several high-end vehicles linked to nearly $900 million in unpaid duties.
Therefore, acting in the best interests of our Villages and based on precaution, permission to enter our Village lands is hereby denied.
We underscore that we will continue to uphold the governance systems established in law, which guarantee the autonomy of Amerindian Village Councils. As Village Councils we are legally empowered to regulate activities within our village lands, including who may enter and under what conditions. As such, we wish to remind you that our decision detailed here is final on the matter.
We wish you the best in your future endeavors.
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