Guyana Elections 2025: GBTI faces backlash after firing employee linked to WIN Party

Guyana: The Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) is facing massive backlash after wrongfully terminating 31-year-old Corwin Austin over association with the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party in Guyana.

According to reports, GBTI terminated the 31-year-old working as a  Network and System Administrator on Tuesday after his name appeared in the Regional List of candidates running with the WIN party. 

Speaking to sources Austin confirmed his termination saying that his manager had called him, and asked him about his political affiliations with the WIN party that is led by US‑sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed after seeing his name in the candidate list. 

He further confirmed that he was a running candidate and the Bank advised him to withdraw his name from the list or he could face termination. But upon his inquiry for his name to be removed by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), they informed him that it was too late as the list had already been finalized. 

As a consequence GBTI presented the employee with an ultimatum to either resign or be terminated and Austin chose to be terminated and continue to work with the WIN party.

Austin’s termination has left many outraged as it raises serious legal and constitutional questions on freedoms associated with Articles 147 and 149 of the Guyana Constitution which guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of association and political participation. Moreover, Article 149 protects individuals from discrimination based on political opinion or affiliation.

Reportedly, this was not the only dismissal that the GBTI took for the WIN party candidates as the bank allegedly closed all accounts associated with the WIN party candidates or the US sanctioned leader Azruddin Mohamed under the OFAC "Global Magnitsky" program. 

The bank asserted that the continued association could expose it to international compliance risks. 

The Demerara Bank Limited has severed ties with several WIN party candidates, including former APNU MP Natasha Singh-Lewis and candidate Duarte Hetsberger, citing international compliance protocols.

The Attorney General, Anil Nandlall and members of different parties running in the upcoming regional and general elections set to be in September have also expressed concerns over the U.S. sanctioned gold dealer Azruddin Mohamed, leader of the WIN party with many noting that if he is elected in the upcoming general elections, Guyana could face serious financial and diplomatic fallouts, as well as risk the country’s financial credibility.