WIN MP calls for tighter mining oversight as party leader and father in court for gold smuggling
WE Invest in Nationhood (WIN) MP Andre Lewis opened Monday’s Budget 2026 debates with a call for stronger regulation of Guyana’s mining sector, raising concerns about accountability and security within the industry.
Lewis criticised the Government’s management of the oil and gas and mining sectors, claiming that there are gaps when it comes to sustainability, fairness and oversight. He told the National Assembly that there is an issue of “urgent national importance” affecting the gold sector, claiming that large quantities of Guyana’s gold may be crossing illegally into neighbouring Venezuela.
Lewis said his party is “convinced that a significant portion of Guyana’s gold is being diverted across the border,” and insisted that tighter controls are needed to safeguard the industry.
However, his comments come on the heels of major legal troubles facing his party leader, Azruddin Mohamed, who, along with his father Nazar Mohamed, is currently before the courts on a plethora of charges, including gold smuggling.
U.S. prosecutors have alleged that the Mohamed duo used their gold exporting business, Mohamed’s Enterprise, to carry out a wide-ranging scheme involving fraud, money laundering and tax evasion, accusations the men have denied. They were indicted in the Southern District of Florida and briefly detained in October before challenging the extradition process in local courts.
Court filings allege that the case centres on an estimated US$50 million gold-export operation, with Azruddin Mohamed also facing an additional charge linked to the importation of a high-end vehicle into Guyana.
