Critique of Dissertation on Corruption in Guyana's Oil Era by Concerned Citizen

A letter published in the Guyana Times by a Concerned Citizen critiques Hadiyyah Mohamed’s master’s dissertation, which was presented to the public as an exposé under the banner of “Exposing the Structures of Corruption, Political Power and Governance Under the PPP/C.” The dissertation, an MLitt from the University of St Andrews titled “Postcolonial State Formation and Corruption in Guyana: Power, Ethnicity and Governance Under the PPP/C,” is being circulated by WIN supporters as if a Scottish university had issued a judgment on the Government of Guyana, according to the letter. The author suggests the dissertation should be evaluated for its content and its omissions.

Regarding the methodology, the letter notes that the research relies on responses from 232 questionnaires and interviews with two individuals: former President Donald Ramotar and commentator Charles Sugrim. The dissertation’s main finding is that 94 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that corruption remains a significant issue in Guyana, which the author characterizes as a finding about belief rather than conduct. The Concerned Citizen points out that the summary released by the family lacks any convictions, audit findings, or court judgments alongside these percentages, suggesting opinion is doing the work.

Concerning the sample, the letter questions how the 232 participants were recruited, when the surveys were conducted, the networks used for distribution, or if any incentives were offered for participation. The author notes that since the author of the dissertation was a candidate for WIN, asking a self-selected group to rate the integrity of her opponents without a published sampling frame does not constitute a neutral instrument. The letter asserts that until the questionnaire, recruitment method, and raw responses are made public, the numbers should not carry weight in national debate.

Furthermore, the letter highlights the omission of what the author deems the most significant corruption case in modern Guyanese history. In June 2024, the US Treasury determined that Mohamed’s Enterprise failed to declare over 10,000 kilograms of gold between 2019 and 2023, thereby avoiding more than US$50 million in duties owed to the Guyanese people, and that the enterprise paid bribes to customs officials to falsify import and export documentation. The US Treasury also designated Hadi’s World, a subsidiary of Mohamed’s Enterprise that bears her name. A federal grand jury has since indicted her father and brother, and the United States has requested their extradition. The Concerned Citizen argues that these findings originated from US Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and other American agencies, not from Freedom House or a survey.

In addition to the gold business, the letter addresses a case involving a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster. In October 2020, International Speed Consulting, a Texas dealer, invoiced Azruddin Mohamed US$695,000 for the vehicle. Bank records obtained by the GRA from GBTI show that US$622,000 was wired to that company over three days, which was described not as a car purchase but as racing services and parts, race support, travel, and marketing and advertising. Two months later, the same car, identified by its chassis number, was declared to Guyana’s customs at US$75,300, which was less than one-ninth of the invoice price. In court filings, the price was stated to be around US$76,000. The invoice was provided to the GRA by the US Department of Justice under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty. In May 2025, Azruddin Mohamed was charged with making a false declaration and fraudulent evasion under the Customs Act, and he pleaded not guilty. The Concerned Citizen states that these charges were not dismissed on the merits, but the DPP discontinued them in November 2025 because the United States requested his extradition, and the vehicle is now part of the US indictment.

The letter concludes by noting the irony that Ms. Mohamed did not study this case from a distance, as the family fortune, which supports the racing team, luxury cars, and a new political party, reportedly stems from the gold business that Washington alleges operated with undeclared gold, evaded duties, and bribed customs officers. The Concerned Citizen states that if these allegations are proven, the business would be the largest and most powerful corrupt corporate network in the country’s history, with the family as its main beneficiaries. A company associated with her is already on the Treasury’s sanctions list. The author suggests that a scholar in her position had two options: address the case directly or declare her interest and let others handle the subject, but she did neither, instead focusing on others. The letter posits that a corruption thesis written from within the subject's household that excludes the household itself does not expose power, but rather explains why the problem is located elsewhere.