Last Updated on Monday, 21 September 2026, 15:38 by Writer
Billionaire Guyanese businessman, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, who, along with his son Azruddin Mohamed, is wanted by the United States (US) to face trial for alleged financial crimes, on Monday said he and his son do not know High Court judge, Gino Persaud.
“I want there to be absolutely no ambiguity about our relationship with Justice Gino Persaud. My son and I have never met him, neither as a lawyer nor as a Judge. He has never conducted business with us, or had any personal, professional or social relationship with us. Our only connection is that matters involving our family came before him as a judge of the High Court,” said the elder Mohamed in a statement.
Mr Persaud, who had ruled in their favour concerning alleged multimillion dollar tax evasion civil cases in the High Court, was recently barred from departing for Jamaica for a judges conference on a flight via Florida because his American visa was under review.
Mr Persaud has not commented one way or another publicly since the news broke.
The senior Mohamed linked Justice Persaud’s visa woes to public criticisms of the High Court judge by President Irfaan Ali, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and Attorney General Anil Nandlall after his ruling in the tax evasion cases on the Lamborghini and Ferrari luxury vehicles.
Against that recent backdrop and historical public criticisms by top government officials and the hiring of American lobbyists to link them to now ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Mr Mohamed said he was doubtful of a fair hearing in Guyana’s courts.
He believed that the judiciary could feel intimidated if they were to give a fair decision.
“We now learn that his United States visa is reportedly under review. I will not publicly assert what caused that review without evidence. But given everything that has happened, it would be foolish to ignore the circumstances surrounding it. What message does this send to the next judge or magistrate deciding a matter involving my son or me?
Judicial independence means that a judge must be able to decide a case based on the law and the evidence, without worrying about who will be angered by the decision or what consequences may follow. No judge should have to wonder whether ruling against the Government could affect his career, his ability to travel, his reputation or his personal life,” said the elder Mohamed, who was a former supporter and financier of the governing People’s Progressive Party Civic.
The Mohameds, who were sanctioned in June 2024 by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for alleged tax evasion related to gold exports from Guyana, are wanted to face trial in a Florida federal court for an 11-count grand jury indictment for alleged wire fraud, money laundering and mail fraud linked to their then registered gold trading business.
