Extradition case against US-sanctioned Mohameds adjourned yet again

…now pushed to Nov 2

The extradition case against United States-sanctioned and indicted Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, will return to the Georgetown Magistrate’s Courts on November 2, following another adjournment in proceedings that have been interrupted by several legal challenges since they began earlier this year.

The hearing was scheduled to continue on Wednesday, October 21, and Thursday, October 22, before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman. However, the next date has now been fixed for November 2.
Guyana Times was unable to confirm the reason for the latest postponement despite attempts to obtain clarification from the relevant officials.
The proceedings are part of the US’s effort to have the father and son surrendered to face federal criminal charges arising primarily from an alleged scheme to evade taxes and royalties on gold exports from Guyana.
Since the substantive hearing opened on January 6, only two prosecution witnesses have testified: Permanent Secretary in the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry, Sharon Roopchand-Edwards, and Senior Superintendent of Police Prem Narine, head of the Guyana Police Force’s Special Branch Unit.
Roopchand-Edwards was the first witness called when the hearing commenced. Her evidence concerned diplomatic correspondence and documentation associated with Washington’s extradition request, including assurances exchanged between the two governments concerning the legal safeguards applicable to the requested surrender.
Her testimony also examined the principle of speciality, under which a person extradited to another country is generally protected against prosecution there for offences outside those covered by the surrender, subject to applicable legal exceptions.
Narine subsequently testified about the documents used to initiate the proceedings and the arrests of the two men on October 31, 2025.
He told the court that he collected documents from the Attorney General’s Chambers, including the Authority to Proceed issued by Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond, documentation bearing the signature of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and draft arrest warrants.
Narine said he later appeared before the Chief Magistrate, where the documents were presented and warrants were issued. He subsequently located Azruddin Mohamed in Smyth Street, Georgetown before proceeding to Mohamed’s Enterprise on Lombard Street, where his father was arrested.

Witnesses remain under cross-examination
Both Roopchand-Edwards and Narine remain under cross-examination by the defence, with attorneys scrutinising their evidence and questioning aspects of the extradition request and the police investigation.
The hearing has been repeatedly delayed, largely due to legal proceedings filed by the Mohameds challenging aspects of the extradition process.
On March 25, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) stayed the proceedings while considering the Mohameds’ challenge to the Authority to Proceed issued by the Home Affairs Minister. The regional court dismissed that appeal on July 29, clearing the way for the committal inquiry to resume.
A further legal dispute arose over whether the Magistrates’ Court could continue while the men pursued a constitutional challenge to provisions of Guyana’s Fugitive Offenders Act.
In August, the Court of Appeal permitted the inquiry to proceed but prohibited Latchman from making a final determination until the constitutional appeal is resolved.
The Court of Appeal heard arguments in that challenge on October 13 and reserved its decision.
The dispute includes whether the existing extradition treaty and assurances from the US adequately protect the men against being transferred onwards to a third country without Guyana’s consent.
The US sanctioned Azruddin Mohamed, his father, Nazar Mohamed, and several businesses linked to them in 2024, including Mohamed’s Enterprise, Hadi’s World, and Team Mohamed’s Racing Team.
The sanctions were imposed over allegations of a gold-export tax evasion scheme involving the underreporting of gold exports and the evasion of taxes and royalties.
The US is seeking their extradition to face an 11-count federal indictment in Florida. The charges include wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and customs-related offences.
Prosecutors alleged that between 2017 and June 2024, the Mohameds participated in a scheme involving more than 10,000 kilograms of gold, falsified customs declarations and the reuse of official export seals. The alleged arrangement is said to have deprived Guyana of more than US$50 million in taxes and royalties.
A separate indictment against Azruddin Mohamed alleges that a Lamborghini purchased for US$680,000 was imported into Guyana using an invoice that declared its value as US$75,300, resulting in the alleged evasion of more than US$1 million in taxes.
Both men have denied the allegations and are contesting their extradition.
They remain on bail of $150,000 each, with conditions requiring them to surrender their passports and report weekly to the Ruimveldt Police Station.
The defence team includes Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde and attorneys Siand Dhurjon and Damien DaSilva.
The US is represented by Jamaican King’s Counsel Terrence Williams, Jamaican attorneys-at-law Herbert McKenzie and Celine Deidrick, and Guyanese attorney-at-law Glenn Hanoman.