Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has strongly criticized Opposition MP and U.S.-indicted businessman Azruddin Mohamed for what he termed a “brazen act of arrogance” after Mohamed drove his luxury Lamborghini to Parliament earlier this week, reportedly without valid insurance.
During a press conference at Freedom House in Georgetown, Jagdeo described the act as a deliberate provocation intended to showcase impunity. “He brought his Lamborghini to show me… that’s what he said,” Jagdeo recounted. He pointed out that the vehicle is allegedly uninsured, stating, “Any ordinary Guyanese caught driving without insurance would be in serious trouble. But he drove it to Parliament to show Jagdeo that he can break the laws of the country.”
The Vice President emphasized the dangers of driving an uninsured vehicle, noting that such actions threaten public safety. “If you hit someone without insurance, you’re in big trouble. Yet the police just stood by and allowed it. That’s unacceptable,” he declared.
Jagdeo escalated his criticism by suggesting that Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken should be held accountable if any harm results from the vehicle being on the road. “If a child or anyone gets hit and injured or killed by that Lamborghini, Hicken should face criminal charges too, because he allowed it,” he asserted.
He accused Mohamed of using his wealth to defy the rule of law and provoke state institutions. “He wasn’t showing the finger to me — he was showing the finger to the country, to law and order,” Jagdeo stated. “What he’s saying is, ‘I can steal, I can evade taxes, I can buy off people in the police, the GRA, or the courts and get away with it.’ That’s the message.”
Jagdeo referenced U.S. financial records indicating a cashier’s cheque for US$680,085 issued by a California bank for the purchase of the Lamborghini from Lamborghini Newport Beach, despite it being declared in Guyana for only US$75,000. “This is the same Lamborghini the U.S. has tied to his financial dealings,” he explained, criticizing media outlets that romanticized the incident. “Rather than address that illegality, some sections of the media romanticised it… like it was a show of glamour. That’s complicity.”
The Vice President characterized Mohamed’s actions as indicative of a deeper belief that he is above the law. “It’s criminal behaviour, flaunted in people’s faces,” he said. “If your child had been hit down by that car, you would not be cheering it on. They think there are two sets of laws in this country… one for them and one for everyone else.”
Jagdeo concluded by asserting that such behavior exemplifies a culture of entitlement and a lack of accountability. “They believe they can do anything in Guyana and get away with it. That’s not showing off a car… that’s showing contempt for the law,” he stated.
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