President slams Mohamed over corruption claims about his mega farm; Defends personal investment as above board

Back from the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in St. Lucia, President Irfaan Ali this afternoon slammed Opposition Leader, Azruddin Mohamed for accusing him of corruption in relation to his mega farm at Long Creek on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

The President said his farm is no national secret, and its acquirement and establishment were all done through legal means.

On Sunday, Opposition Leader, Azruddin Mohamed, revealed details of the President’s sprawling farm facility, claiming that billions of dollars were used to develop it and the President needs to come clean on the financing of the project.

Since then, calls have been made for the President to come clean about the investment.

In a recorded video statement this afternoon from the Office of the President, President Ali rubbished some of the claims of the Opposition Leader.

He disputed the size of the facility as being 150 acres and said many of Mohamed’s claims were all just an exaggeration.

“Let me once again be very clear, my farm is not a discovery it is public information including the discover himself, he knows about the existence of my farm, a farm that I have built and can account for every single investment in that farm,” the President said.

The President said he has not sought any special treatment, benefit, or investment by the state for his lands, and noted that his farm carries a huge loan from the Bank.

He said all of that information has been declared to the Integrity Commission.

“Unlike Azruddin Mohamed, who still has to account to the integrity Commission, unlike him who did not had to take a single loan for the wealth he accumulated, I am not in that category and bracket. Everything on my farm, can be accounted for through legitimate means. Whatever conditions are lease lands on the highway, the same conditions applied to me,” the President said.

The President then launched a scathing attack on the Opposition Leader accusing him of alleged murder, kidnapping and tax evasion. He said Mohamed is not the one to lecture anyone on corruption.

“A man who has indicted by a grand jury in the United States of America, imagine this is the man of conscience. The transparency bodies, many of them who accused me and the PPP of protecting him, these sanctions did not come from President or the PPP/C government, it came from the United States of America, suddenly this is the celebrated man of conscience, claiming a discovery that he knew about and most persons in Guyana may have known about,” the President noted.

The President maintained that he was being blackmailed by Mr. Mohamed, and read a message he said received threatening him and a separate voice note in which he was being accused of being behind the charges against the Mohameds.

The President said he has nothing to hide and will continue to defend his private investments. He did not release the financial details of the investment.

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