US extradition request: Court rejects migraine, LOO duties excuses to grant adjournment of committal hearing

An adjournment of the extradition committal hearing that was being sought by United States-indicted businessman Azruddin Mohamed was on Thursday rejected by Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman when the matter was called at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The application was made by Attorney-at-Law Siand Dhurjon, who told the court that Azruddin’s duties in the National Assembly as Leader of the Opposition (LOO), particularly during the ongoing Budget 2026 debates and the upcoming line-by-line consideration of estimates, made it necessary for him to dedicate his time and focus to Parliamentary proceedings.
He argued that granting the adjournment would be in the public interest. Dhurjon further explained that Mohamed’s role in Parliament extended beyond delivering a speech, as he was required to listen to hours of debate, identify key issues, and respond to points raised by the Government. He described it as “unfair” to continue the committal proceedings during this period and added that Mohamed was suffering from a migraine and was taking medication.
However, the Magistrate did not entertain the application, stating, “Yesterday is dead and gone; tomorrow is yet to come,” and ruled that the committal hearing will go on as planned.

Move ahead without delays
Speaking after the court session on Thursday, special prosecutor Terrence Williams argued that the court proceedings needed to move ahead without delays.
“The sitting of Parliament does not conflict with the proceedings of the court, and there is a need to press the matter along. Given that there is no conflict, and the dates for the court were set long ago, we felt, and the court agreed, that the matter should proceed as scheduled.”
When pressed for clarity, Williams responded, “All matters in court should be dealt with, with reasonable explanation, and any delays in any court matter must be for good reason.”
On this note, he added that the Opposition Leader is needed in Parliament in the evening session, but the court proceedings are done in the morning session. Williams nevertheless stated that two other witnesses are expected to take the stand as the proceedings continue on Friday.

Appeal
Meanwhile, Dhurjon also informed the court that the Mohameds will appeal the ruling of acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh on Wednesday to throw out one of two cases before him that challenged the constitutionality of the extradition proceedings.
In the dismissed case, the Mohameds had sought to quash the authority to proceed issued by the Home Affairs Minister, as well as all subsequent actions arising from it, including arrest warrants and the ongoing extradition proceedings before Senior Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
The applicants argued that the Minister; the Government of Guyana; the president; the vice president; and the attorney general and legal affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, were biased against Mohamed because of his political activity, including his participation in the most recent general elections. They claimed this alleged bias rendered the extradition process invalid.
In the High Court ruling, the Chief Justice dismissed the allegations of bias, stating that a case for bias has not been made out and cannot be made out.
“The Minister is not performing a judicial or quasi-judicial function when issuing the authority to proceed but is instead discharging an executive function under the Fugitive Offenders Act. Allegations of bias, if any, can only be directed at judicial tribunals, not the executive.”
The ruling also rendered unnecessary a pending application by the Mohameds to stay the Magistrates’ Courts proceedings, which were expected to continue this week.
The extradition of Azruddin Mohamed and his father is being pursued under the Guyana-United Kingdom Extradition Treaty, which remains in effect in Guyana under Section 4(1)(a) of the Fugitive Offenders Act, Cap. 10:04, as updated by Act No. 10 of 2024. The formal request for their extradition was submitted by the United States Government on October 30, 2025.
The Mohameds, along with their business interests, were sanctioned by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on June 11, 2024. The sanctions were imposed for allegations of large-scale corruption, including gold smuggling, money laundering, and bribery, with investigations indicating attempts to evade more than US$50 million in taxes owed to the Guyanese Government.
In addition, a grand jury in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida has indicted the father-son duo on 11 criminal counts, including wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering, primarily linked to the export of gold by their company, Mohamed’s Enterprises, to the United States.
If convicted, most of the charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and fines up to US$250,000. The money laundering charge carries a potential fine of US$500,000 or an amount equivalent to the value of the laundered assets.
The Mohameds have a second High Court action challenging the constitutionality of certain provisions of the Fugitive Offenders Act, particularly amendments made in 2009. That matter has already been argued, with written submissions filed by all parties, and a ruling is scheduled for February 16.