Mohameds’ Indictment: “We firmly believe that they’re guilty of crimes they’re being indicted for” – US Ambassador

– dismisses claims that the case is politically motivated

United States (US) Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot on Sunday reaffirmed the US’s firm stance in its pursuit of extradition proceedings against US-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed and his father Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, declaring, “we firmly believe that they’re guilty of the crimes that they’re being indicted for.” Speaking during an interview on the programme Sources, Theriot staunchly dismissed claims that the case is politically motivated, emphasising that the US has “hard”, unequivocal” evidence against the Mohameds for the crimes they have been charged with. “The United States does not pursue criminal charges for political reasons. We do it because we have hard and unequivocal evidence against a person,” Theriot underscored, further noting that: “Why would we take on a case we do not think we’re going to win? That is just a waste of the US tax payer’s money. It’s in the Guyanese judiciary hands at this point and we are ready to move forward.” Her comments come as the Mohameds continue efforts to block their extradition to the US, where they face 11 criminal charges laid by a federal grand jury in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The charges include wire fraud, mail fraud, tax evasion and money laundering and are tied primarily to alleged irregularities in gold exports through their company, Mohamed’s Enterprises. The case follows sanctions imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) more than a year ago against the Mohameds, their businesses and Mae Thomas, former Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Home Affairs. According to OFAC, between 2019 and 2023 the company failed to declare more than 10,000 kilograms (kg) of gold and avoided paying over US$50 million in duties. Theriot emphasised that the US has already completed its role in the extradition process and is now awaiting the outcome of Guyana’s judicial proceedings. “We have done our part and now it is with your court. We don’t have an expectation or timeline because it’s not ours to control. When the decision is made it is made, and we will proceed from there. We are ready today. If the Magistrate made a decision today, we would move forward with the process, but that is not within our control so we are patiently waiting to see what happens. Addressing assertions by the Mohameds that the case amounts to political persecution, Theriot rejected the notion outright. She argued that pursuing a case without confidence in securing a conviction would be a misuse of resources, reiterating that the matter is grounded in evidence, not politics. Also addressing questions of possible destabilisation if the extradition moves forward, Theriot expressed hopes that Guyana’s institutions would continue to function within the rule of law, reminding that the Mohameds are being legitimately charged based on evidence against them. Azruddin, who created the political party We Invest In Nationhood (WIN) after being sanctioned by the US, was elected as the Leader of the Opposition (LOO) earlier this year.
“I hope that destabilisation does not occur. That would be very tragic because we are simply holding people that we believe are guilty of a crime accountable for that crime. And to be fair it’s not just the United States tax payers that were defrauded. Let’s be clear about that,” Theriot noted. “I hope people will understand that things are being done by the book based on the law. And it’s certainly not politically motivated from our side. It is our indictment, it’s the US Government indictment, the Government of Guyana did not indict Mohamed and I can assure you there is nothing political about it from the US end.”
The Mohamed’s legal battle against their extradition has since escalated to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), which last Wednesday granted a temporary stay of the extradition proceedings. The ruling pauses the committal hearings before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman while the regional court considers an appeal from the Mohameds. The CCJ, Guyana’s final appellate court, has scheduled April 21 to hear arguments on whether the extradition process was tainted by actual, perceived, or presumed political bias. Central to the appeal is a challenge to the actions of Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond, specifically her issuance of the Authority to Proceed that initiated the extradition process. The Mohameds are seeking to overturn earlier decisions by both the High Court and the Court of Appeal, which dismissed their claims. Meanwhile, the substantive extradition matter remains before the Magistrate’s Court, but proceedings cannot resume until directed by the CCJ. Theriot underscored that the US will respect whatever decision emerges from Guyana’s courts. However, she noted that even if extradition is denied, the sanctions imposed under US law will remain in effect.
“That would be in the decision that is made in your court system and we will have to abide by that. They will remain sanctioned by US law,” Theriot explained.