A statement issued by associates of entrepreneur Ed Ahmad has condemned Kaietuer News, Demerara Waves and Stabroek News reports about charges laid against him by United States authorities as teeming with inaccuracies.
Following is the statement issued by Ahmad’s friends and associates:
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.
We believe that Mr 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."
Mr Ahmad 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.
For Kaieteur News to report that he was dragged off the plane was a total fabrication, which exposed the lack of journalism skills and journalistic ethics of the owner of the newspaper, Glen Lall.
In recent years for reasons known only to Lall, he (Lall) has embarked on a vendetta against Mr Ahmad and as such has used his publication as a conduit for his 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 Lall's vile attacks on Mr Ahmad for four consecutive days. We would like to know what was so important about this story, for Lall 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, he does not consider himself an "associate".
We also reiterate the PPP's response to the Demerara Waves article, that Mr Ahmad has not contributed to the PPP 2011 campaign, and he is not "financier" or an "operative" of the PPP.
In reference to remarks contained in the articles about his business in Guyana, Mr Ahmad 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 one is down.
However, Mr Ahmad will continue to invest in Guyana and contribute toward the country's development, because the Guyanese people deserve the best.
Following is the statement issued by Ahmad’s friends and associates:
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.
We believe that Mr 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."
Mr Ahmad 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.
For Kaieteur News to report that he was dragged off the plane was a total fabrication, which exposed the lack of journalism skills and journalistic ethics of the owner of the newspaper, Glen Lall.
In recent years for reasons known only to Lall, he (Lall) has embarked on a vendetta against Mr Ahmad and as such has used his publication as a conduit for his 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 Lall's vile attacks on Mr Ahmad for four consecutive days. We would like to know what was so important about this story, for Lall 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, he does not consider himself an "associate".
We also reiterate the PPP's response to the Demerara Waves article, that Mr Ahmad has not contributed to the PPP 2011 campaign, and he is not "financier" or an "operative" of the PPP.
In reference to remarks contained in the articles about his business in Guyana, Mr Ahmad 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 one is down.
However, Mr Ahmad will continue to invest in Guyana and contribute toward the country's development, because the Guyanese people deserve the best.
No comments:
Post a Comment