New York-based friends of realtor Ed Ahmad say that the Guyanese businessman will be exonerated, even as they sought to clear the air on a number of issues raised in articles published locally.
Ed Ahmad
In a statement, the ‘friends of Ed Ahmad’ said: “We, the friends and associates of Queens-based entrepreneur Ed Ahmad, would like to clear the air on a number of inaccuracies contained in articles published in the Kaieteur News and Demerara Waves online news over charges filed against him recently by United States authorities.”
According to the businessman’s friends, Ahmad, who has been operating a real estate business in the borough of Queens for the last 18 years, would be exonerated of the charges in due course. “However, we would like to point out several inaccuracies contained in a number of published articles in the Kaieteur News, Demerara Waves online news, and the Stabroek News. It is totally false for Kaieteur News to publish that Ed was dragged off the plane in an article on July 24, under the headline “FBI drags Guyanese from Delta flight bound for Guyana.”
Ahmad’s friends said he was never on the plane, and as such could not have been “dragged off”. “On Thursday evening, as he was about to check in, he was approached by two Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) officers who asked to speak with him. Mr Ahmad stepped out of the line and spoke with the two officers who, subsequent to his conversation with them, requested that he accompany them to Manhattan, and he did.”
The businessman’s friends said that for KN to report that he was dragged off the plane was a total fabrication, which exposed the lack of journalistic skills and ethics of the owner of the newspaper. Ahmad’s friends said that in recent years and for reasons known, KN has embarked on a vendetta against Ahmad, and as such has used its publications as a conduit for vitriolic attacks against him.
“We believe that the Guyanese people deserve better for their money when they purchase a newspaper than to be subjected to KN’s vile attacks on Mr Ahmad for four consecutive days. We would like to know what was so important about this story for KN to publish several stories about Ed for four days.
“Also, we would like to set the record straight: contrary to reports in the Kaieteur News, Stabroek News and Demerara Waves online, Mr Ahmad is not being electronically monitored, and has been going about his business as usual. We also take issue with Demerara Waves’ online article under the headline “PPP associate ensnared in New York straw mortgage deals; being electronically monitored”. While Mr Ahmad is a proud supporter of the PPP (People’s Progressive Party), he does not consider himself an “associate”.
The businessman’s friends further said that Ahmad is not a “financier” or an ” operative” of the PPP. Ahmad’s friends asserted that he has invested in Guyana, just like any other overseas investor. “He has been providing quality building materials at affordable prices to the Guyanese population, and has created jobs for several Guyanese as well. We wonder why he is being castigated for being an investor in Guyana and contributing to the development of the country. We recall, with sadness, the days when Guyanese used to support each other in times of distress; now it seems some can’t wait to kick one when they are down. However, Mr Ahmad will continue to invest in Guyana and contribute toward the country’s development, because the Guyanese people deserve the best,” his friends said.
Comments are closed.