By Stabroek News
berates journalist
In a heated exchange with reporters, President Irfaan Ali was yesterday unable to explain why a US lobbying firm employed by the Government of Guyana became involved in targeting presidential candidate Azruddin Mohamed.
The ruling PPP/C and the government have repeatedly clashed with Mohamed and his supporters since it became evident that he would enter the election campaign, On Monday, it was learnt that the US lobbying firm Continental Strategy, which is working for the Guyana Government had sent suggested tweets to a US congressman alleging that Mohamed was a puppet of Venezuelan Presi-dent Nicolas Maduro. One of those tweets was later issued by congressman, Carlos A Gimenez. Stabroek News has not been able to contact Gimenez for the evidence on which he issued the tweet.
After the commissioning of a school yesterday, journalist, Svetlana Marshall of News Source questioned the President about the lobbying firm’s activities.
“A lobbying firm hired by the government, Con-tinental Strategy, has been, in a sense, been used to target your political opponents,” the journalist stated. President Ali retorted sharply, “The government has hired no lobbying firm to target anyone, so the premise of your question is wrong. You need to go and come again and come with facts. Don’t come with your makeup stories.” He further accused the journalist’s news agency of having a political narrative.
The questioning then shifted to the rationale behind the firm lobbying “with respect to Mr. Mohamed and Venezuela.” President Ali acknowledged the engagement with the firm was related to the ongoing border controversy with Venezuela. “What was the rationale? You know we have a threat. We have a threat with Venezuela. You know that Venezuela has threatened the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Guyana. You’re aware of this. You’re aware that we have serious danger with Venezuela. You’re aware that Venezuela brought their coastal, their navy vessel into our waters. So we have the capability that is necessary with our allies to keep our allies informed and to work with us in ensuring that at a diplomatic level, our message and at a diplomatic level, our communication is intact.”
However, Marshall then pressed the President on the inclusion of Mohamed in this lobbying effort, citing U.S. documents. “How does that message include Mr. Mohamed as we’ve seen in US documents?” Marshall asked. President Ali initially claimed ignorance, stating, “I don’t know how you are linking this to Azruddin Mohamed.” When the journalist insisted on the document’s contents, President Ali launched a scathing attack on Mohamed’s character and background. “Azruddin Mohammed has been accused by the US government, has been sanctioned by the US government. Azruddin Mohammed has defrauded Guyana in the documents that the U.S. government has of 50 million U.S. dollars in the last couple years alone. This is no saint we are talking about. This is a man that is dangerous to our society… He’s sanctioned by the United States. He’s sanctioned by OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control). When you are sanctioned by OFAC, you are in breach of major international laws and treaty. That is who Azruddin Mohamed is. Let us not reshape that.”
President Ali emphasized that the sanctions against Mohammed were imposed by the United States and not the Guyanese government. He also referenced a Reuters report linking Mohamed to illegal activities. “It’s not the government of Guyana that sanctioned him. It’s the United States of America that sanctioned Azruddin Mohammed. It’s the Reuters… It is Reuters, an independent news agency that wrote a story about drug smuggling, about gold smuggling, and other illegalities. It’s not the government of Guyana. So let’s get off of this horse that is the government of Guyana. It is not the government of Guyana.”
The President then directly addressed the journalist, demanding that the news agency accurately report on Mohamed’s sanctioned status and alleged attempts to mislead the public. “Your news agency, News Source you need to get your story accurate. You need to run your headline that Azruddin Mohamed is a sanctioned individual. You saw Azruddin Mohamed going to communities and said it’s the government of Guyana that sanctioned him. Have you seen that? Please. Have you seen Azruddin Mohamed? Have you seen? Ms News Source I’m asking you a simple question. Have you seen Azruddin Mohamed going to communities and saying that he was sanctioned by the Government of Guyana and not the United States? Have you seen that?”
Despite the journalist attempting to ask a question, President Ali continued to press, leading to a moment where the journalist stated, “Mr. President, with all due respect to you, (I am) the journalist, I would like to ask you a question. And why am I being attacked?”
President Ali denied attacking the journalist, insisting he was asking a “basic question” about the correlation between Mohamed and the Venezuelan issue. He then referenced seeing information about this connection in “tweets” made by Congressman Carlos Gimenez and “documents” filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). “Listen, I saw the tweet too. And the tweet is very clear on what the congressman believe is the correlation. You can read it.”
The exchange ended with a journalist attempting to inquire about reports of the government using state resources for its campaign, a question President Ali dismissed by stating, “But the government of Guyana, the People’s Progressive Party, does not need state resources to run our campaign. We are not using any state resources to run our campaign. Our campaign is run by the People’s Progressive Party with all resources supported by the humble people of Guyana. And we are strong. We are ready. And we will defeat every force that is ahead of us.”
Moments after this exchange, President Ali released a public statement on his Facebook page, further elaborating on the government’s position. In the statement, he reiterated that Mohamed was sanctioned by the U.S. government due to evidence of illicit activities, including defrauding Guyana of over $50 million USD in five years and involvement in gold smuggling and drug trafficking.
President Ali also asserted that Mohammed poses a national security threat due to his alleged involvement in these activities, which could impact Guyana’s financial system, natural resources, and international diplomacy, particularly concerning the border dispute with Venezuela. He stated that the U.S. sanctions highlight Mohamed as a risk, and Guyana has a responsibility to investigate any linkages to this risk.
The President dismissed the notion that the government was targeting Mohammed for political reasons, stating that international investigations predated his political ambitions. He emphasized that his primary concern is the security and sovereignty of Guyana, especially in light of the Venezuelan threat, and the government is working with allies to ensure the country’s safety.
Again, the President did not explain how the US lobbyist came to provide tweets to Gimenez linking Mohamed to Maduro.
On Monday, in response to Gimenez’s tweet, Mohamed denied that he was a “pro-Maduro puppet”. Mohamed in a statement contended that documents and filings under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) show that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs paid the U.S. lobbying firm Continental Strategy $50,000 USD per month and in the case of the Gimenez tweet pushed a misleading narrative about him and his family to American lawmakers, including false tweets describing him as a “pro-Maduro puppet” and a “threat to democracy.” This is not the first time they have done this, he said.
“What we are witnessing is not foreign policy. Once again, this is the PPP using a foreign nation to attack me, my reputation and my credibility. By falsely linking me to a hostile regime, the Government is deliberately placing my safety and that of my family at risk. They are attempting to delegitimise my candidacy through deception and fearmongering”, he contended.
Mohamed said that he is currently in consultation with his legal team about pursuing civil and criminal action against the Government of Guyana for financing these false claims through a registered foreign agent.
“I urge every Guyanese, regardless of political persuasion, to be vigilant. If they can do this to me, they can do it to any one of us. We must not allow this dangerous precedent to stand. On September 1st, Guyana has a chance to choose a different path; a path where political competition is not met with persecution”, he said.
The controversy erupted following the tweet by Gimenez of Florida, who expressed alarm over Venezuela’s alleged attempts to undermine Guyana through Mohamed. Gimenez labelled Mohamed a “pro-Maduro puppet” sanctioned by OFAC. Mohamed, a former licenced gold dealer now heading the “We Invest in Nationhood” (WIN) party, was sanctioned in June 2024 for allegedly evading US$50 million in taxes due to the Guyana government on more than 10,000 kilogrammes of raw gold.
Documentation filed with the US Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) reveals an email from John Barsa, a partner at Continental Strategy, sent on June 23rd, 2025, at 4:01:51 PM to Roberto Lugones, Congressman Gimenez’s Communications Director. The email, with BCC to Ambassador (Ret’d) Carlos Trujillo (President of the lobbying firm) and CC to Anthony Sola (Vice President at the lobbying firm), included draft tweets for consideration. The filing showed proof of the email being received by the NSD/FARA Registration Unit on June 25, 2025. The draft tweets were:
-US-sanctioned gold mogul Azruddin Mohamed is running for president in Guyana. This isn’t just a local scandal—it’s a warning. The Western Hemisphere must remain a stronghold for democracy, not a playground for authoritarian influence
-A sanctioned Maduro ally running for president in Guyana? This isn’t just politics—it’s a red flag. The Western Hemisphere must not become a safe haven for authoritarian expansion.
-Venezuela’s attempt to encroach into Guyana through pro-Maduro puppet Azruddin Mohamed’s presidential run is alarming. The Western Hemisphere must remain a stronghold of freedom — not a breeding ground for communist dictatorships.
-Maduro’s sanctioned puppet Azruddin Mohamed running for president in Guyana is Venezuela’s latest attempt to creep into a sovereign democracy. The Western Hemisphere must reject authoritarian influence. #Guyana #Venezuela #FreedomFirst
-U.S.-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed, seen as sympathetic to Maduro-style politics, is running for president in Guyana. This is more than a local issue—it’s a warning for democracy in the Americas
The stated duties of the lobbying firm in the contract signed on 13 December 2024 between Continental Strategy LLC and the Government of Guyana, as per the FARA filing, are: “(1) increase US trade and investment; (2) help the Government address financial sector improvements and other necessary steps; and (3) enhance Guyana’s profile in the United States”. Its email to Gimenez and his subsequent tweet fall outside this scope.
Congressman Gimenez, according to his website, represents Florida’s 28th congressional district and serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the Homeland Security Committee, and the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the US & the Chinese Communist Party. He is known for his focus on the Economy and Taxes, Energy, Immigration, Trade, and China.
The agreement with the Virginia-based consulting firm for the government was for a term of six months effective December 16th, 2024, and included a clause for renewal at the client’s discretion based on satisfactory performance. This means the initial contract should have expired on June 16th, 2025. The filing date of the contract with the foreign principal was February 5th, 2025.
Stabroek News reached out to Barsa for a comment on whether the firm was asked to engage in the activities related to Congressman Gimenez’s tweet and whether there is evidence of Mohamed’s alignment with Venezuela. Barsa replied, “I don’t speak to media. Well, good luck.”