By KNEWS

Copyright kaieteurnewsonline

Venezuela denies any collusion with Mohameds

Sep 10, 2025
News

…Mohamed says PPP/C fearmongering and lies are finally unravelling

Kaieteur News – Venezuelan Ambassador to Guyana, Carlos Amador Pérez Silva, has denied any collusion between the Venezuelan government and businessman and leader of We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Azruddin Mohamed or his father, Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohamed.

Ambassador Pérez Silva, on the side-lines of the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Bridgadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, firmly rejected allegations that either Mohamed had engaged in political coordination or received preferential treatment from Venezuela, stating, “No. Why do you say that? No.”

Addressing claims that the Mohameds visited the Venezuelan Embassy in Georgetown to apply for visas, the Envoy made it clear that the embassy remains open to all Guyanese and that such visits are private matters.

“The embassy is an open place for everybody. Any consular transaction or whatever information of Venezuela I can’t tell you because I have to respect the privacy of the people that go into the embassy,” he said.

In a prompt response, Azruddin Mohamed accused the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) of orchestrating a smear campaign against him.

“This administration shamelessly weaponized misinformation, dragging ambassadors into their smear campaign against me,” Mohamed stated. “Now, H.E. Carlos Amador Pérez Silva, Venezuelan Ambassador, has exposed Hugh Todd’s and the PPP’s blatant lies that we were forced to publicly debunk. Imagine the depths of desperation when a government uses ambassadors as political pawns in their campaign. These revelations are an indication of what we have been saying all along; the PPP thrives on deception, fear and manipulation of the masses,” he said.

Mohamed alleged that the government’s use of foreign envoys to push false narratives indicates desperation. “The timing of these clarifications reveals a calculated strategy to smear my name and distract the nation with baseless allegations of ties to the Maduro regime,” he added.

On August 12, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations Hugh Todd said that the Venezuelan diplomat was summoned to a meeting where he revealed that the Mohameds had visited the embassy.

During an interview conducted by the Department of Public Information (DPI), Todd reminded that Congressman Carlos Gimenez had raised concerns over what he had described as Venezuela’s attempt to influence the internal affairs in Guyana, specifically through the Mohameds.

“I’m encouraged to inform you that only recently we found out that the Mohameds have been frequently visiting the Venezuelan Embassy here in Georgetown. Now, you can recall that we’ve had Congressmen in the United States of America who have been very vocal in connecting the Mohameds to Nicholas Maduro and his regime, particularly as it relates to smuggling and the sanctions that have been placed on Venezuela, gold smuggling that is, and money laundering,” Todd stated.

Notwithstanding, Mohamed firmly denied the claim, stating via a post on the Team Mohamed’s Facebook page: “I never visited the Venezuelan Embassy, nor have I applied for a visa to travel to Venezuela.” He also challenged both the government and the Venezuelan Embassy to provide evidence to support their claims. However, no evidence was provided.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo later clarified during a weekly press conference that it was Nazar Mohamed, Azruddin’s father, who had visited the embassy. Nonetheless, Jagdeo maintained that the visit was still “a cause for concern” given the context of U.S. sanctions and allegations surrounding the family.

The situation escalated further when it was revealed that a U.S.-based lobbying firm, Continental Strategy LLC, hired by the Guyanese government, had drafted a series of anti-Mohamed tweets in July. The tweets, which were prepared for U.S. political figures, described Azruddin Mohamed as a “pro-Maduro puppet” and alleged he was being used by Venezuela to influence Guyana’s internal affairs. One of the tweets was later published by Congressman Carlos Gimenez, who echoed the accusations and warned of authoritarian influence in the Western Hemisphere.

In an email dated June 23, John Barsa, a partner at Continental Strategy, sent five draft tweets to the communications director for Congressman Gimenez, noting that they were prepared “on behalf of the Government of Guyana.” The tweets raised alarm over Azruddin Mohamed’s presidential bid, suggesting it was part of Venezuela’s strategy to extend its influence in the region.

Some of the tweets included statements such as:

“US-sanctioned gold mogul Azruddin Mohamed is running for president in Guyana… This isn’t just a local scandal—it’s a warning.”

“Maduro’s sanctioned puppet Azruddin Mohamed running for president in Guyana is Venezuela’s latest attempt to creep into a sovereign democracy.”

“The Western Hemisphere must remain a stronghold of freedom—not a breeding ground for communist dictatorships.”

The Mohamed family, particularly Azruddin and Nazar, has come under increasing scrutiny in both local and international circles. In addition to political pressure, they have been sanctioned by the United States government for alleged involvement in tax evasion, gold smuggling, and other illicit financial activities.

Azruddin Mohamed, Carlos Amador Pérez Silva, Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohamed, PPP, smear, Venezuelan Ambassador, We Invest in Nationhood