“Committed to clearing my name” about Fagundes’ murder- Azruddin Mohamed

The newly-formed We Invest In Nationhood (WIN) political party presidential candidate, Azruddin Mohamed on Thursday night accused the governing People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) of trumping up murder accusations against him, and said he was ready for any probe into the allegations that were stirring in the public.

“The Guyana Police Force also publicly confirmed that I was never a suspect. This information is publicly known, and I remain committed to clearing my name,” he also said in a statement on his Team Mohamed’s Facebook page.

Mr Mohamed said he had never been named a person of interest or a suspect in any murder investigation, further pointing out that a September 2022 report by the Regional Security System (RSS) clearly states that there was no evidence of corruption or cover-up in the investigation into the gunning down of Ricardo “Paper Shorts” Fagundes outside Palm Court in March 2021.

“I, Azruddin Mohamed, reiterate my willingness to cooperate with any fair and credible investigation into any allegations made against me,” he said hours after PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo cautiously weighed in on the issue of whether there was a police investigation into the incident.

Mr Jagdeo recalled President Irfaan Ali saying in April, 2025 that an “important piece of evidence” had been sent to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) from which information had been sent back to Guyana and so additional questioning was expected to take place. Mr Jagdeo said “I hope we find out the truth”.

Already sanctioned by the United States’ Treasury Department’s Office for Foreign Assets Control for allegedly evading more than US$50 million in taxes payable to the Guyana Revenue Authority on the export of 10,000 kilogrammes of gold and facing charges for tax evasion and false declaration for his Lamborghini luxury car, Mr Mohamed described the recent claims as “baseless” and said they were designed to damage his reputation as a candidate in the September 1 general and regional elections.

“Over the past months, I have seen continuous efforts to attack my character, tarnish my name, and discredit my family. I strongly reject these actions,” he said.

While the WIN presidential candidate said he was ready to clear his name, he expressed reservations that a fair process was not always guaranteed. He urged Guyanese to stay alert and take note of the ongoing political efforts to “undermine my credibility and hinder my campaign.” “These attacks are politically motivated, planned by the threatened PPP, and carried out by their associates to push false narratives,” he said.

Mr Mohamed said since he announced that he would contest the general and regional elections, several tactics have been used against him. They include defamation of his family in the media, blocking his visits to Indigenous communities, false accusations of tax evasion, and rape “and now reviving baseless murder allegations.”

He asked Guyanese to remain vigilant and support a fair election process in which there is no political mischief and abuse of power.