Latest news with #IrfaanAli
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
A wealthy businessman challenging Guyana's president in an upcoming election faces new allegations
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — A wealthy businessman in Guyana who was sanctioned last year by the U.S. and who plans to challenge the South American country's president in upcoming elections is facing new accusations. Azruddin Mohamed appeared in court on Thursday after being charged with false tax declaration and under-invoicing a luxury vehicle. He pleaded not guilty. His appearance comes just days after he announced plans to challenge the ruling People's Progressive Party by creating a new party with dozens of candidates as the oil-rich country prepares for a general election on Sept. 1. Mohamed, a member of one of Guyana's wealthiest families, used to be a well-known donor to the ruling party. But in recent months, he clashed with tax officials over an invoice he submitted a couple years ago indicating that he paid $75,000 for a Lamborghini, when the government stated it was valued at $575,000. He was freed Thursday on a $2,500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court next month for trial. If found guilty, he could face up to three years in prison. Mohamed, who has been traveling across Guyana to donate cash, vehicles and new homes ahead of the Sept. 1 election, claims he is being targeted for challenging the ruling party. He has alleged that President Irfaan Ali, once a close ally, allowed his vehicle to be cleared from customs with the valuation he submitted. Ali has not publicly responded to those accusations. Meanwhile, Attorney General Anil Nandlall has denied that Mohamed is being targeted and has said that the U.S. supplied the receipt and other information regarding the vehicle. Last year, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Mohamed, his father, their gold-exporting company and a government official 'for their roles in public corruption' in a bribery scheme that authorities said ran from 2019 to 2023. U.S. officials accused the Mohameds of evading $50 million worth of duty taxes on gold exports and under declaring exports involving more than 22,000 pounds (10,000 kilograms) worth of gold. Their company also was accused of bribing customs officials to falsify and export documents.
India Gazette
26-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
People of Guyana stand with India in our fight against terrorism: India's High Commissioner to Guyana, Amit Telang
Georgetown [Guyana], May 26 (ANI): India's High Commissioner to Guyana, Amit Telang, said that the people of Guyana stand with India in the fight against terrorism. He added that Guyana strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, with President Dr Irfaan Ali calling terrorism a global threat that must be dealt with firmly. Speaking to ANI, Amit Telang said, 'India and Guyana have a special kind of partnership, and the reason for that is more than 40 per cent of the population of Guyana is of Indian origin. So, naturally, there is a deep sense of connection between the two after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, President of Guyana, Dr Irfaan Ali, condemned the also mentioned that terrorism is a scourge and it needs to be tackled. We need to be firm in handling and tackling the scourge of terrorism. That is the kind of response that we have received from the leadership in Guyana...' Telang said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Guyana in November 2024 gave a strong boost to India-Guyana relations. He further added that the people of Guyana stand with India in the fight against terrorism. 'We had a historic visit of PM Modi last year in November his visit, there has been a further impetus to our bilateral of Guyana stand with India on our fight against terrorism,' Telang said. Vice President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo also offered support to India in the fight against terrorism. The Vice President underscored the need to bring to justice the perpetrators of terrorist activities and also appreciated the visit of the Indian delegation to Guyana. While speaking to ANI, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said, 'It was an excellent visit. I assured the delegation that Guyana stands unequivocally with India. We are against terrorism and we believe that all those who perpetrate terrorist activities must be brought to justice. We are happy that the delegation came from India to Guyana'. The all-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor met the Vice-President of Guyana after their arrival earlier on Sunday (local time). The all-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor comprises of Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayagi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejaswi Surya, Bhubaneswar K Lata (all from BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena) and Former Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu. The all-party delegation aims to brief international partners on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and its broader fight against cross-border terrorism. (ANI)
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘Full-frontal assault': Guyana president decries Venezuela ‘sham' elections for disputed region
Venezuela's decision to elect officials to administer a swathe of Guyanese territory constitutes 'a full-frontal assault on Guyana's sovereignty and territorial integrity' that 'undermines regional peace', the country's president, Irfaan Ali, has warned. Venezuelans will head to the polls on Sunday to chose regional governors and lawmakers, including officials who would supposedly govern Essequibo, a territory which is internationally recognised as part of Guyana. The area is largely jungle but also rich in oil, gold, diamonds, timber and other natural resources. Ali told the Guardian the move was part of a 'campaign to provoke confrontation' and that the 'implications are grave – not just for Guyana, but for the entire western hemisphere'. 'The sham elections Venezuela seeks to stage in our territory are not only illegal – they are an act of brazen hostility. This threat is not just aimed at Guyana. It undermines regional peace,' Ali said. Guyana, an English-speaking former British and Dutch colony, has for decades administered the region, which makes up two-thirds of its territory and is home to 125,000 of its 800,000 citizens. It says the frontiers were determined by an arbitration panel in 1899. Venezuela also lays claim because the region was within its boundaries during the Spanish colonial period. The centuries-old dispute was reignited in 2015 when the US energy giant ExxonMobil discovered huge crude reserves in the region, and escalated in 2023 when Guyana began auctioning oil-exploration licences. In late 2023, after holding a referendum asking voters if it should be turned into a Venezuelan state, President Nicolás Maduro threatened to partially annex the region by force and pledged to hold elections there. Caracas describes Essequibo as 'an inalienable part of the Venezuelan territory and a legacy of our liberators' and has rejected an order by the international court of justice to suspend its plans. 'No international pressure, judicial blackmail, or foreign tribunal will make us back down from this conviction,' Venezuela said. Dr Christopher Sabatini, Latin America expert at Chatham House, said the move to push ahead with elections was 'intended to stoke the fires of nationalism'. Guyana's chief of defence staff, Brigadier Omar Khan, has called on Guyanese Indigenous communities – particularly those living along the border – to share any relevant information about Venezuela's attempts to organise the election. 'I want you to be vigilant,' Khan told Indigenous leaders on Tuesday. He also warned that any resident participating in the elections would be charged with treason and other felony crimes. 'If anyone participates or takes any similar action, it will amount to support for a passive coup,' Khan told the Associated Press. 'Anything along those lines will speak to a violation of our sovereignty and territorial integrity.' A Venezuelan source said that although the newly created 'Guyana-Essequibo state' included the entire disputed territory, voting would only take place in a border municipality in the Venezuelan state of Bolívar. The source said Venezuelan authorities would be unlikely to cross the internationally recognized border. President Ali said Guyana was a 'peaceful nation' but 'bows to no bully and yields to no threat'. He added that he 'will make every investment – military, diplomatic, technological, and human – necessary to secure and defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity'. The elections come 10 months after Maduro claimed victory in an election he was widely suspected of stealing. A deadly crackdown followed, with Human Rights Watch (HRW) reporting that the government had 'killed, tortured, detained, and forcefully disappeared people seeking democratic change'. Venezuelans will elect 24 state governors and 285 national assembly members in Sunday's poll, but turnout is expected to be low. 'Last year, Maduro stole the votes of Venezuelans and repressed those who demanded fair counting. It's hard to see how many of them will turn out to vote again,' said Juan Pappier, deputy director of the Americas Division of HRW. Víctor Alfonzo, a 33-year-old resident living in the state of Anzoátegui, said that the country no longer 'believes in the political system'. 'I'm not planning to vote. Neither are my friends, nor my family. We know that everything is a fraud with this government, and we don't want to participate,' he said. The Venezuelan opposition has been beset by infighting over whether to abstain from the election, with the handful who are set to run facing bitter recriminations from their political allies. the opposition leader María Corina Machado has called on voters to stay away in the hope of humiliating the government with low turnout. But others warn the boycott could play into the hands of the administration. In 2020, the opposition boycotted parliamentary elections, which rights groups say allowed Maduro's allies to regain control of parliament. 'Those leaders, the ones that sit out, become irrelevant,' said Sabatini. 'They may be marginalising themselves even more, and that, in part, is the government's plan.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Guyana's new oil pollution bill holds companies liable for spills
Guyana's National Assembly has passed an oil pollution bill holding companies and offshore operators accountable for damages from oil spills, including those from vessels. The bill, which passed with a majority voice vote, is expected to be signed into law by President Irfaan Ali soon, reported Reuters. This legislation aims to establish national environmental safeguards in response to expanding offshore oil production in Guyanese waters. The bill comes as Guyana's oil production, led by an ExxonMobil consortium, is projected to exceed 900,000 barrels per day (bpd) this year. The legislation requires responsible parties to provide financial assurance for spills, conduct regular inspections and audits, and address any identified issues. Penalties for non-compliance include the suspension of licences for exploration and production for companies failing to provide the necessary financial assurance. The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) will serve as the national authority to coordinate response efforts and mitigate spill impacts, as well as oversee routine inspections and audits to identify and rectify potential risks, reported the Maritime Executive. Guyana became Latin America's fifth-largest oil exporter last year after Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia. The country reported a 3% increase in oil production in March, reaching an average of 631,000bpd, compared with the same period last year. The government anticipates production to surge to an average of 786,000bpd, driven by the commencement of the Yellowtail project, Exxon's fourth venture in the country. The Finance Ministry reported oil revenue of $605.46m (G$126.61bn) from royalties and sales in the last quarter of the previous year. "Guyana's new oil pollution bill holds companies liable for spills" was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Straits Times
17-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Guyana lawmakers pass bill making companies liable for oil spill damages
Vessels carrying supplies for an offshore oil platform are seen, south of Georgetown, Guyana, January 23, 2020. REUTERS/Luc Cohen/File Photo GEORGETOWN - Guyana's parliament passed an oil pollution bill late on Friday that holds parties liable for damages caused by oil spills, including from vessels. The bill, which passed with a majority of votes cast in a simple voice vote, is expected to soon be signed into law by President Irfaan Ali. Guyana, whose oil production is controlled by an Exxon Mobil-led consortium is expected to surpass 900,000 barrels per day (bpd) this year. The South American country is trying to reinforce oversight of its nascent energy industry, where all crude and gas output comes from offshore fields. The legislation stipulates that responsible parties provide financial assurance to cover spills, conduct regular inspections and audits, and address any issues found. It also includes penalties for companies that fail to comply with regulations, including the suspension of licenses to explore and produce oil for those that do not provide the financial assurance required. Guyana, whose oil production is controlled by an Exxon Mobil-led consortium is expected to surpass 900,000 barrels per day (bpd) this year. Last year the country became Latin America's fifth largest oil exporter after Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia. The Exxon group, which includes U.S. Hess and China's CNOOC, produced an average of 631,000 bpd of oil in the first quarter, 3% higher than in the same period last year. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
