US extradition request: Case moves forward as court sets December ruling for sanctioned Nazar, Azruddin Mohamed

The extradition proceedings involving US-indicted businessmen, father and son Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed, returned to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Friday, with prosecutors formally confirming that full and final disclosure has now been completed.
According to the prosecution, every document submitted by the United States in support of its extradition request is now properly before the Guyanese courts. With disclosure closed, the defence will now advance its constitutional objections, arguing against the referral or execution of the extradition request on constitutional grounds.

Presiding over the matter, Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman scheduled oral submissions for December 8, 2025, and indicated that rulings will be delivered on December 10. Prosecutor Terrence Williams informed the court that the final batch of US documents was lodged earlier in the week.
Beyond the standard timetable, the Mohameds will know on December 10 whether the magistrate will refer the United States’ request for their extradition to the High Court of Guyana for further hearing on constitutional grounds. The defence is also expected to make both oral and written submissions on several constitutional points, on which the Principal Magistrate will also rule. On Friday the defence asked for additional time, and it was as a result of this the December 8 date was set for submission.
The magistrate will further determine whether the evidence disclosed by the prosecution satisfies the threshold required under the legal system to justify extradition. Should the matter be referred, it will not constitute a trial of the alleged offences in Guyanese courts, but rather a constitutional adjudication of objections raised against the extradition process itself.
The Mohameds remain on bail locally, each secured at $150,000, as ordered previously by the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. The bail conditions remain intact as the matter advances toward a decisive legal marker next month.
Indicted by US grand jury
The father-son duo, who are now fighting their extradition, have been indicted by a grand jury in the United States (US) District Court for the Southern District of Florida on 11 criminal charges ranging from wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering, primarily connected to the export of gold to the US by their company, Mohamed’s Enterprises. The Mohameds are accused of conspiring to defraud the US and Guyanese governments between 2017 and June 11, 2024. The father-son duo is accused of using a scheme to unlawfully obtain property by transmitting communications via interstate and foreign commerce in violation of US laws.
According to the prosecutors, the goal was to enrich themselves and defraud the Government of Guyana by evading taxes and royalties on gold exports. They allegedly reused Guyana customs declarations and official seals on multiple shipments to make it appear that taxes and royalties had been paid when they had not. The indictment stated that Mohamed’s Enterprise would pay taxes and receive official Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Guyana Gold Board (GGB) seals for one shipment, then reuse those same seals and documents on subsequent, untaxed shipments. The indictment further alleges that the Mohameds arranged for empty wooden boxes bearing intact GRA and GGB seals to be shipped from gold buyers in Dubai to Miami and then sent to Guyana. These boxes were then used to export gold while falsely appearing to have cleared customs and tax obligations. US authorities allege the scheme resulted in more than US$50 million in lost taxes and royalties to the Government of Guyana.
Additional indictments detail similar conduct involving shipments of gold, emails allegedly from Nazar Mohamed requesting the sealed boxes from Miami, and exports of over 165 kilograms (kg) of gold per shipment destined for Dubai. Charges six to nine focus on mail fraud, referencing the shipment of sealed empty boxes from Dubai to Miami, while charge 10 addresses money laundering, which alleges that the Mohameds knowingly transferred funds within the US with the intent to promote unlawful activity. The other charge has to do with Azruddin Mohamed purchasing and importing a Lamborghini sports car to Guyana in 2020. The indictment alleges he directed someone to purchase the car for US$680,000, then falsify the invoice to state a value of US$75,300 to understate import taxes.
The US Government is seeking forfeiture of certain assets connected to the accused. If convicted, most charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and fines of up to US$250,000, while the money laundering charge carries a fine of US$500,000 or the value of the laundered property. The indictment follows sanctions imposed over a year ago by the US Government on the Mohameds, their businesses, and Guyanese Government Permanent Secretary (PS) Mae Thomas in relation to the same allegations. The sanctions are related to the evasion of taxes on gold exports, with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) noting that between 2019 and 2023, Mohamed’s Enterprise omitted more than 10,000 kg of gold from import and export declarations and avoided paying more than US$50 million in duty taxes to the Government of Guyana. Since the imposition of the sanctions, the Guyana Government had suspended the licences of the Mohameds’ various businesses, highlighting that the US-sanctioned businessman is a risk and a threat to Guyana’s financial stability, sovereignty, and diplomacy. Subsequently, several government entities and local businesses, including commercial banks, have cut ties with the Mohameds.