Min. Rodrigues says she submitted mortgage documents amid allegations, calls out “selective outrage”
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Susan Rodrigues says she went “above and beyond” what was required of her by submitting personal financial records, including mortgage documents, to address what she described as false and malicious allegations made against her.
In a letter to the editor, Rodrigues said the allegations were raised by Azruddin Mohamed, whom she described as “a political party leader who has been indicted in the United States on charges including money laundering, mail fraud, and wire fraud,” and whose name has been linked in international reporting to organised crime, including alleged ties to the Russian mafia, Hezbollah and Colombian cocaine trafficking, as published by Reuters.
She said that in response to the claims, she cooperated “fully and transparently” and provided documentary proof showing that the acquisition of her assets was lawful.
“I provided personal financial information, including documentary evidence of a mortgage, which clearly demonstrates that the acquisition of my assets was lawful, transparent, and above board,” Rodrigues wrote.
The minister said that despite this, Demerara Waves continues to give what she described as an “unrestrained platform” to GHK Lall, whom she accused of repeatedly making unsubstantiated allegations against her and other government officials.
“If Demerara Waves believes in scrutiny, transparency, and accountability, then the same standards should apply equally,” Rodrigues said.
She noted that, like Lall, she is a devout Catholic and said this informed her decision to go beyond what was required of her “in the interest of accountability.” However, she said she does not accept what she termed “selective outrage, one-sided commentary, and the recycling of defamatory claims.”
In that context, Rodrigues listed a series of allegations and unanswered questions she said have long surrounded Lall and which, in her view, deserve similar public scrutiny. These include allegations of paedophilia which she said he has “repeatedly refused to publicly address,” questions surrounding his tenure at the Guyana Gold Board, claims about a US dossier on gold smuggling that were publicly contradicted by former Minister Raphael Trotman, and allegations that he is a part-owner of Demerara Waves’ News Talk Radio.
She also raised questions about Lall’s representation of himself as an attorney-at-law and as a “Wall Street analyst,” saying there is no verifiable public record to support those claims and that the public deserves clarity.
“I welcome scrutiny. I have provided evidence. I stand by my record,” Rodrigues wrote. “What I do not accept is selective outrage… while serious questions surrounding the commentator himself are ignored.”
She concluded by calling on Demerara Waves to apply principles of truth and accountability “fairly, consistently, and without fear or favour,” and said she expects her letter to be published in full and with the same prominence given to Lall.
