The Guyana Revenue Authority, has faced another setback in its bid to seize several luxury cars from businessman Azruddin Mohamed and his sister Hana Mohamed.
In another legal blow, The Full Court on Monday upheld an earlier decision by the High Court to block the GRA from seizing the luxury vehicles owned by the Mohameds.
The decision, which was handed down by Acting Chief Justice Roxanne George and Justice Nareshwar Harnanan, means that the GRA cannot seize the Mohameds vehicles until and unless the substantive matter is heard and decided upon against the Mohameds.
The Court has also ordered GRA to pay $300,000 each in costs to Azruddin and Hana Mohamed by June 30, 2025.
The GRA has claimed that the Mohameds failed to pay more than $1B in taxes for the high-end vehicles. The vehicles include a 2020 Ferrari, which the GRA claims it is still owed almost $480M in taxes on, a 2023 Land Rover Range Rover, which the tax body is seeking a further $62M in taxes on and a 2023 Rolls Royce which GRA wants $321M more in taxes.
The GRA had descended upon the Mohameds home to seize the vehicles a few weeks back, but the Mohameds filed a Court action to stop the seizure and also filed a substantive case for a final determination on the issue of allege tax breaches.
The Mohameds have long claimed that the GRA’s sudden move to go after them for taxes were politically motivated and might have been driven by an apparent fallout between the Mohameds and the governing People’s Progressive Party.
Following the ruling, Hana Mohamed said the family welcomes the ruling and noted that it reaffirms their confidence in the strength and independence of the judiciary to uphold the rule of law.
“The Court’s refusal to grant a stay is a vindication of the merits of our case and sends a strong signal that justice should not be delayed, especially where the rights and expectations of citizens are concerned. We are grateful that the Court recognized the importance of allowing the substantive proceedings to move forward without unnecessary obstruction,” Hana Mohamed posted.
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