‘Do the crime, do the time’ – Dr Jagdeo

-explains details surrounding Mohamed’s indictment, extradition

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, on Thursday, doubled down on the fact that no amount of disinformation and misinformation by the Mohamed’s camp will shield them from facing legal repercussions for their illegal doings.

During his weekly press conference at Freedom House, Georgetown, Dr Jagdeo addressed the Mohamed’s consistent attacks on the government, which he said are designed to shift public attention away from serious allegations.

“They had to find a boogie man so that people, and especially the stupid people…can’t focus on the crime and their dirty basket of criminality”, he said.

“So the boogie man is a big bad government: we are being prosecuted. So when people hear that, they become the victim”, Jagdeo added as he continued to expose the Mohameds’ desperation.

The Mohameds stand accused by the United States (U.S.) authorities of large-scale money laundering, fraud, and gold smuggling, with investigations spanning from 2017 to 2024.

In June 2024, they were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for allegedly smuggling over 10,000 kilograms of gold and evading more than US $50 million in duties owed to the Government of Guyana.

Jagdeo reiterated that the family’s newfound hostility toward the government is nothing more than a desperate attempt to distract from their criminal activities. In fact, he argued that Azruddin Mohamed’s recent political posturing is not about service to the people but an attempt to seek protection from prosecution.

He again dismissed the notion that any political figure is above the law, reminding that neither an Opposition Leader nor a Member of Parliament enjoys immunity from legal proceedings.

“This is a lunatic,” he stated, expressing frustration at what he termed their reckless and unfounded attacks on the government.

The Mohameds have been indicted by a US grand jury for conspiracy, mail and wire fraud, money laundering, and gold smuggling charges in Florida.