US extradition request: Court hears detailed testimony on protocols for processing requests

The United States extradition case against indicted businessmen Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed continued on Thursday before Magistrate Judy Latchman, with the court addressing concerns over one defendant’s illness and hearing further testimony from the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Sharon Roopchand-Edwards.
Under continued cross-examination by defence attorney Siand Dhurjon, Roopchand-Edwards outlined how extradition requests are processed.
She explained that based on protocols, when the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry receives an extradition request, it is forwarded to the Home Affairs Ministry. She noted that the request can be delivered by the Permanent Secretary or Head of the Legal Department.
The defence posed several questions about the process, attempting to establish a case of political bias, something which was already dismissed by the High Court in a legal challenge filed by the Mohameds.
Meanwhile, prior to these proceedings, the court also addressed the matter of US-indicted Nazar Mohamed’s health concerns.
Two previous court proceedings were delayed owing to the defendant’s alleged health issues.
As such, the prosecution had indicated a desire to explore alternative procedures to advance the extradition, including the possibility of paper committal proceedings, in case the defendants cannot appear consistently in court. Asked by the Magistrate whether he would consent to proceedings continuing in his absence if he became unwell, the elder Mohamed said he would try his best to attend every hearing going forward.
The matter will continue on March 12. Both Mohameds are currently on $150,000 bail each.
The extradition proceedings against the father-son duo began in late October 2025 and stem from a request by United States authorities, who are seeking their surrender in relation to 11 federal criminal charges filed in the Southern District of Florida. The pair are accused of involvement in alleged financial crimes connected to gold exports, including fraud and money-laundering offences.
The matter is being conducted under Guyana’s Fugitive Offenders Act and an existing extradition treaty between Guyana and the United States.
The Mohameds are the subject of an indictment unsealed on October 6, 2025, by a US Grand Jury sitting in the Southern District of Florida, which charges them with multiple offences, including wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, aiding and abetting and customs-related violations connected to an alleged US$50 million gold export and tax evasion scheme.
The indictment alleges that between 2017 and June 2024, the accused conspired to defraud the Government of Guyana by evading export taxes and royalties on over 10,000 kilograms of gold, using falsified customs declarations and reused export seals to disguise unpaid duties. The indictment further references the attempted shipment of US$5.3 million in undeclared gold seized at Miami International Airport and the alleged under-invoicing of a luxury vehicle valued at over US$680,000.
Prior to the indictment, the duo were sanctioned in June 2024 by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) over allegations of trade-based money laundering and related financial offences.