United States-sanctioned businessman Nazar Mohamed has refused to give a direct answer to whether he visited the Venezuelan Embassy in Georgetown, instead accusing the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government of orchestrating a political smear campaign against his son, Azruddin Mohamed.
This is according to PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, in response to Nazar’s comments published in Sunday’s edition of the Stabroek News.
Jagdeo told the press on Sunday, “Nazar Mohamed did not answer the yes-or-no question of whether he visited the Venezuelan Embassy.
“Instead, he engaged in semantics and deflection by shifting focus to what he described as a political smear campaign against his son. He frames the issue as allegations, as a tactic, by the PPP/C to discredit Azruddin Mohamed and his We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) movement, but gave no direct confirmation or denial about his visit to the Venezuelan Embassy.
“In fact he goes as far as telling the Stabroek News: ‘I’m not going to answer that’.”
Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Hugh Todd, last week revealed that the Venezuelan ambassador confirmed to the government that the Mohameds visited the embassy and applied for a visa.
Jagdeo later confirmed that there is video evidence of the Mohameds visiting the embassy and referenced the need for the authorities to express a more “deep-seated” connection between the US-sanctioned family and the Venezuelan government.
“So, to put it plainly: He did not say yes or no; he avoided the question. He does not address the factual question of whether he himself visited the Venezuelan Embassy,” Jagdeo contended.
Azruddin Mohamed, alongside his father, Nazar, and several of their businesses, were sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury last year.
Azruddin has launched a presidential bid with his We Invest in Nationhood party. He has been accused of having ties to the Nicolas Maduro government in Venezuela by US Congressmen.
Guyana has been locked in a border controversy with Venezuela and the International Court of Justice is currently considering the substantive merits of Guyana’s case to confirm the 1899 Arbitral Award as a full, final, and perfect settlement of the border dispute.
Venezuela recently rejoined the proceedings after boycotting earlier stages, a move Guyana has publicly welcomed.
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