U.S. investors still welcome to Guyana despite election of U.S.-sanctioned businessman – Theriot

Last Updated on Thursday, 4 September 2025, 23:07 by Writer

The United States (U.S.) will continue to encourage American businesses to invest in Guyana, and any decision to de-risk because a U.S.-sanctioned businessman has been elected to the National Assembly in this week’s general and regional elections will be up to the companies, American Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot said on Wednesday.

“It is really important for them to take the results, sit down with their Board of Directors et cetera and their leadership and make those decisions,” she told reporters.

She said the U.S. government does not ask businesses to de-risk but merely provides the information on the implications of dealing with an OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control)-sanctioned person for their companies. “They have to make that decision,” she said.

She said her position that Guyana is in “incredibly supportive and receptive” to US companies coming and partnering with Guyanese companies would not change.

Asked how the U.S. planned to balance its interest related to the Treasury Department’s OFAC sanctioning of We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) leader Azruddin Mohamed for allegedly evading US$50 million on more than 10,000 kilogrammes of exported gold, she ruled out the U.S. engaging in financial transactions with him. “We find ways to work around that,” she said while noting that OFAC-sanctioned persons had been elected to government in other countries.

The American envoy said while the U.S. government is barred from working with Mr Mohamed on any committee to which he might belong, there was no humbug to doing so with other WIN parliamentarians.