News Source Guyana Reports : Following the recent elections in Guyana, the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party is set to enter the National Assembly, led by Azruddin Mohamed, who remains under sanctions by the US Government. US Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot, addressed the situation, stating that the US will find ways to work around sanctioned elected officials, although it will not engage in financial or transactional matters with them.
“We’ve had OFAC sanctioned individuals in governments in other places of the world, several in fact, and we find ways to work around that,” Theriot explained. “We have been able to achieve our objectives and the objectives of that country without any barriers. You just have to be creative in ways to work around it.”
While acknowledging that the US would not be able to work directly with Mohamed on any financial transactions, Theriot emphasized the possibility of collaborating with other parliamentarians and members of specific committees that may need to engage with US interests. “There are ways to work around it, and we will just work with US law as it prescribes working with OFAC sanctioned individuals,” she stated.
Azruddin Mohamed, who was sanctioned last year by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) alongside his father and their businesses, ran as the presidential candidate for the WIN party. Following the elections, the party appears poised to become the largest opposition force in the National Assembly, with Mohamed potentially being selected as the Opposition Leader.
Theriot reiterated that the OFAC sanctions are primarily financial and should not impede Mohamed’s involvement in other legislative matters. “There would not be an issue with him being engaged on other issues related to various committees of the National Assembly that he might serve on and that may need to work along with the US,” she noted.
Before the elections, the ambassador expressed concerns regarding Mohamed’s candidacy, warning that his election could lead to a reassessment of how the US conducts business with Guyana. As the political landscape shifts, the US remains committed to navigating its relationship with the new assembly while adhering to its legal obligations regarding sanctioned individuals.
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