Arimu Investments Inc., the company that owns Aiden by Best Western Hotel in Georgetown, has filed a multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit against Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed over allegations he made concerning the hotel’s ownership and the purported misuse of police resources to provide security at the property.
The company is seeking more than $150 million in damages, including in excess of $100 million for defamation and more than $50 million in aggravated damages, along with exemplary damages, a public apology, retraction and court orders preventing Mohamed from repeating the allegations.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature, challenges statements Mohamed made outside the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Oct. 16 and in a subsequent video published on his official Facebook page on Oct. 18.
According to the 25-page statement of claim, Arimu Investments Inc. maintains that Mohamed made false, malicious and defamatory statements suggesting that the hotel’s publicly identified shareholders were merely nominal owners and that members of Guyana’s First Family held undisclosed beneficial interests in the property.
The company identified its shareholders as Clinton Alphonso, Lorenzo Alphonso and Geraldo Alphonso, insisting that its ownership is a matter of public record.
In one of the videos cited in the lawsuit, Mohamed questioned whether the Alphonso family was the hotel’s true beneficial owner.
“The Alphonsos them own that hotel, maybe on paperwork,” Mohamed said, according to the court filing.
He further alleged that police vehicles and officers had been stationed outside the hotel continuously for more than a year, suggesting that state resources were being improperly deployed to protect a private commercial establishment.
In another recording, Mohamed claimed that although the Alphonsos owned the hotel on paper, he had heard that the beneficial owners were members of the First Family.
The company strongly rejected those allegations, describing them as entirely false and damaging to its commercial reputation.
Arimu Investments Inc. said the occasional presence of police officers and vehicles at Aiden by Best Western was associated with established security arrangements for international dignitaries, foreign officials and other persons visiting Guyana who were accommodated at the hotel.
The company maintained that such security arrangements were not unique to its establishment and did not constitute preferential treatment or the improper use of state resources.
It specifically rejected Mohamed’s allegations that a police vehicle bearing registration number PAM 8500 had been stationed outside the hotel for more than a year, with approximately four officers maintaining a round-the-clock presence.
According to the lawsuit, Mohamed’s statements created the false impression that the company was involved in corrupt or unlawful activities, concealed its true ownership and benefited from politically connected individuals.
The company argued that the allegations were particularly damaging because they questioned the legitimacy of its ownership arrangements and suggested improper relationships with government and law enforcement authorities.
The legal action also highlighted the extensive circulation of Mohamed’s statements across social media.
According to figures presented in the statement of claim, videos published on the Facebook pages Prime News Guyana and Travis Chase had attracted more than 257,000 and 248,000 views, respectively, as of Oct. 17.
A separate video published on Mohamed’s official Facebook page on Oct. 18 had accumulated more than 102,000 views by Oct. 19, the filing stated.
The company contended that the widespread circulation of the allegations exposed it to public suspicion, criticism and potential commercial harm.
Arimu Investments Inc. further alleged that Mohamed failed to take reasonable steps to verify the accuracy of his statements before making them publicly.
The lawsuit described his conduct as malicious or, alternatively, demonstrating reckless indifference to the truth or falsity of the allegations.
The company argued that Mohamed knew or ought reasonably to have known that accusations involving concealed ownership, corruption and the alleged misuse of police resources could seriously damage the reputation of a hospitality business operating locally and internationally.
It said the allegations threatened its ability to maintain existing commercial relationships, attract customers, secure future business opportunities and preserve the goodwill associated with the Aiden by Best Western brand.
Beyond monetary compensation, Arimu Investments Inc. is asking the High Court to order Mohamed to remove the disputed video and related content from his Facebook page and other electronic platforms under his control.
The company is also seeking a permanent injunction restraining him from publishing or republishing defamatory statements concerning its business, along with a court-approved apology and retraction.
Additionally, it wants Mohamed to publish the court’s order in a manner approved by the court.
The legal proceedings were instituted through attorneys Sase R. Gunraj and Jayaram A. Sanasie of Gunraj & Co.
The statement of claim maintains that monetary damages alone would be insufficient to protect the company’s reputation against further publication of the disputed allegations.