US Denies Seeking to Determine Outcome of Guyana's Upcoming Elections

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The United States has denied seeking to determine the outcome of the September 1 general and regional elections even as it maintained its position regarding the candidacy of the political leader of the We Invest Party (WIN) party  Azruddin Mohamed.

US Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot, speaking to reporters .The billionaire businessman is one of six candidates contesting the position of President during the elections. The others are the incumbent,  President Irfaan Ali of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Aubrey Norton of the main coalition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Nigel Hughes of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Amanza Walton-Desir of the Forward Guyana Movement and the leader of the Assembly for Liberty & Prosperity (ALP) movement, Dr. Simona Broomes.

Mohamed, had been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in June 2024 for allegedly evading US$50 million in taxes payable to the Guyana government on more than 10,000 ki, in rejecting criticisms that  Washington is  attempting to influence the outcome of polls by targeting Mohamed, told reporters that this is not the case.

“We have absolutely no interest in interfering in your elections. I was asked the question, I gave the facts, as I understand them as they are published on our Department of Treasury website,” said the US Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot.

“I have no interest or intention of interfering in the government of Guyana’s elections. This is a sovereign country. You run your elections as you see fit,” she said, adding “I was a little bit upset by that characterization simply because I was stating facts’.

She insisted that she was “stating facts” when last month, she said that that the election of an OFAC-sanctioned person to the executive or opposition could impact on the way the US government relates to, for instance, working with a committee of which such a person is a member.

“The other things that concerns me more however, is that when you see an OFAC sanctioned individual become an official within a government, it sends concerns through the private sector in the United States will start rethinking their relationships within the country, we saw it in Afghanistan and other countries, they sometime tend to de-risk or cut ties with the country,” the Ambassador said then, adding “they sometimes look to de-risk or to even cut ties with the country”.

But Mohamed said that Guyana is a sovereign country and his entry into the elections was a result of him responding to the people of Guyana.

The diplomat told reporters that the US has been assisting Guyana with its elections at the request of Georgetown.

Since his entry into the local politics, several commercial banks have cancelled the accounts of customers linked to Mohamed’s party.

The government has denied any involvement in the matter even as President Ali said over the last weekend that “more young people will receive letters of closures of their accounts from other banks”.

Last month, the Demerara Bank Limited (DBL) and the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), confirmed that they had closed the close the bank accounts of several persons who are associated with Mohamed’s party.

The Guyana Association of Bankers Inc. (GABI) over the last weekend announced that all licensed commercial banks here operate within a framework of national laws and international standards.

The GABI said banks are guided by strict regulatory obligations, including Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) requirements, as well as global risk management practices.

“These standards are critical to preserving financial system integrity, protecting depositors, and ensuring continued access to international financial markets, GABI said, adding that it remains committed to supporting a strong, inclusive, and compliant banking sector that serves the best interests of the Guyanese people and economy.

The American diplomat also sought to distance her government saying “the decision by the banks where was entirely independent. We were not consulted, we were not asked.

“There is absolutely no association. The OFAC sanctions are for the US. They are the US government, and they pertain solely to what happens in the United States and business being done in the United States. The decision by the banks here was entirely independent.

“We have no opinion on the matter. Banks here make their own decisions,” she said, adding that the OFAC sanctions pertain “solely” to what happens in the US.

Theriot said maybe there were discussions between the banks here and their correspondent banks in the US but she had nothing to do with that.

Meanwhile, the US ambassador said she does not believe Guyana will be included in a list of countries whose citizens would now be required to pay a US$15,000 refundable bond before visiting the United States.

“Currently, Guyana is not included on that list. It does not apply to Guyanese citizens applying for a visa,” she told reporters,  noting that barring the fact that she has not checked recently, Guyana’s overstay rate is “not very high.

“In my opinion, it’s not problematic in that sense,” she said even as she advised that “anything can change but I’ll be very surprised”.

The US policy which affects B-1 business and B-2 tourism visas, goes into effect on August 20 and targets travelers from countries with historically higher rates of visa overstays.

The Department of State has since identified nationals from Malawi and Zambia who must post a bond in amounts of US$5,000, US$10,000, or US15,000, determined at time of visa interview.

“The applicant must also submit a Department of Homeland Security Form I-352 agreeing to the terms of the bond, through the Department of the Treasury’s online payment platform Pay.gov.  This requirement applies regardless of place of application,” the State Department added.