-Ali: `The video of Azruddin Mohamed reinforces his duplicity and dishonesty’
Businessman Azruddin Mohamed yesterday released what he said were WhatsApp messages between himself and President Irfaan Ali in relation to the controversial importation of a Lamborghini vehicle.
However, hours after the release of Mohamed’s video, the Head of State accused him of being duplicitous and dishonest adding that it only proves that no legitimate invoice for US$75,000 was ever presented for the vehicle.
“I was challenged by Vice President Bharrat and President Irfaan to show proof of the invoice I presented to him. In this game of chess, timing is everything, and here is the PROOF,” Mohamed declared in his video post. “As we approach the finish line more revelations will follow,” he added.
He released the 10-minute-long video via his Team Mohamed Facebook page and said the WhatsApp conversations, which he read out, were between himself and President Ali, regarding the 2020 purchase and clearance of a Lamborghini.
The move also follows a public call by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and President Ali for Mohamed to produce proof of the alleged discussions, amid ongoing legal and political tensions.
The businessman, who declared last week that he will be running for the presidency, claims the PPP/C government has targeted his family with political victimisation due to his growing public support. In the video, Mohamed stated, “Guyanese deserve better, honest leadership… I vow to be transparent and accountable.”
In the video, Mohamed alleged that President Ali was involved in matters connected to the importing of the Lamborghini in 2020. He detailed a series of WhatsApp messages exchanged with Ali between September and December of that year. These, he says, show the President’s knowledge and involvement in relation to the vehicle, which has since been flagged by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) for under-declaration.
“On September 30, 2020, messages were exchanged about the purchase of the Lamborghini. With his approval, on October 7, 2020, the Lamborghini was bought for US$75,300,” Mohamed said, pointing to screenshots of messages and a bank swift payment. “When the car arrived, I forwarded that invoice to Irfaan on December 8, 2020.”
Mohamed also alleged that the Commissioner-General of the GRA, Godfrey Statia, initially resisted registering the vehicle. Mohamed claimed that Ali intervened to resolve the matter. “He [Statia] told them not to register it until he gives instructions… The next day Irfaan told me, ‘matter sorted’,” Mohamed alleged.
Deceptive
However, President Ali, in his statement following the release of the video, dismissed Mohamed’s claims as deceptive and reiterated that no invoice for US$75,000 was ever accepted.
“The video of Azruddin Mohamed reinforces his duplicity and dishonesty,” the President said. “My number is no secret. It is the same number I have had in and out of Government, so having my number is nothing special.” The President did not address, however, whether he did indeed have exchanges with Mohamed on the importation of a Lamborghini.
Ali continued, “As I stated before, at no time did Azruddin Mohamed present any invoice for US$695,000, which we now know is the true and correct value of the car. Instead, he reaffirmed and confirmed his lies that the invoice he shared and presented to GRA was US$75,000.”
He said that financial records now reveal a series of payments amounting to nearly US$700,000 for the vehicle, contrary to Mohamed’s claims. “Did he lie about the value he presented as the purchase price of the vehicle? The answer is yes… Based on the facts now presented by the US authorities, he did lie and presented a falsified invoice to the GRA.”
Ali declined to address Mohamed’s personal criticisms, saying, “As regards the personal insults, I will not address those as it is a revelation of their true personality and nature.”
Vice President Jagdeo, at a separate engagement, also rejected Mohamed’s claims and said the businessman is trying to play the victim.
“They like to play the victim… hoping it would give him sympathy among people,” Jagdeo said. “Let him release the evidence that President Ali told him to submit a false invoice to the GRA… Let him show that the president had any evidence. No such thing happened.”
Jagdeo suggested the controversy stems from Mohamed’s own public statements, noting that it was he who had shared tax receipts on Facebook that triggered the GRA’s scrutiny. “He brought it up in the public domain… Then we, the GRA, went to the banks and saw that he transferred (US) $695,000 to the company,” Jagdeo said.
Both Ali and Jagdeo emphasised that the matter at hand is about legal accountability, not political persecution. “This is a criminal act,” Jagdeo said. “A fake invoice is a criminal act by our laws. Unless we must change the laws to suit the Mohameds.”
The GRA is pursuing charges against Mohamed in relation to the alleged false declaration of the Lamborghini’s value. Mohamed, in turn, maintains his innocence and says the government’s actions are politically motivated.
“This is a full-blown dictatorship government presently,” Mohamed said. “You don’t victimize people just for power.”
There were clearly ties between Ali and Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed. The Mohameds made an armoured vehicle available to Ali during the 2020 election campaign. Ties between the two have deteriorated sharply in the aftermath of US sanctions against Mohamed and Mohamed’s decision to contest the 2025 general elections.
