US extradition request: Mohameds’ lawyers cannot halt extradition proceedings despite High Court appeal – AG

Attorney General Anil Nandlall on Wednesday emphasised that the extradition proceedings against US-indicted businessmen Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed will continue, following Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman’s dismissal of their constitutional challenge.
Nandlall, in an interview shared on a social media page, noted that while the defence retains the right to approach the High Court, such action does not automatically suspend or delay proceedings in the Magistrate’s court.
“One cannot stop persons from approaching the High Court. That is a right available to them. But that does not translate into a stay of proceedings in the Magistrate’s Court. The Magistrate must now proceed as she has indicated she will do,” he said.
Nandlall suggested that the defence’s strategy appears aimed at delaying the extradition process. “What they intend to canvass before the High Court are the same issues that have already been rejected and conclusively decided by higher courts. This appears to be part of a plan to delay and protract the extradition process,” he stated.
Addressing claims by the defence regarding the authority to proceed issued by the Home Affairs Minister, Nandlall said the argument was raised unusually late, after the Magistrate had already ruled. He clarified that the authority is a standardised document under the Fugitive Offenders Act, intended solely to authorise the Magistrate to handle the extradition request in accordance with the law. “There is no requirement for it to include the Guyanese equivalents of the offences for which extradition is sought,” he explained.
Nandlall also addressed concerns over the diplomatic note submitted by the United States, describing it as a common international practice in extradition matters. He said the note fully complies with domestic and international law and does not undermine the extradition proceedings. “The defence has no valid contention here,” he said, noting that the use of diplomatic notes allows countries to manage extraditions without renegotiating treaties for every case.
He further described the defence’s repeated challenges as an attempt to create confusion and prolong the process. “They have raised almost every argument available in extradition law and packaged it as if it were a new constitutional question. Now, after the Magistrate has ruled, they are bringing up this authority to proceed issue and the diplomatic note again. It is starkly consistent with a strategy to delay and detain,” Nandlall said.
Highlighting the broader significance of the case, the Attorney General emphasised the Government’s international obligations. “This matter is of national importance. It involves our Government’s treaty obligations, our relationship with the United States, and, by extension, our role globally in combating organised crime, money laundering, and international financial crimes. The Administration is positioned to speak on matters of this type,” he said.
Nandlall confirmed that the Magistrate has set the dates for the extradition hearing, with documents, including the diplomatic note, to be tendered. “The defence can attempt to approach the High Court, but that will not stop the hearing in the Magistrate’s court,” he said.

On Tuesday, Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman dismissed the constitutional application filed by US-indicted businessmen Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed, ruling that the arguments presented by their attorneys had already been conclusively settled by Guyana’s higher courts and did not warrant further consideration at the magistracy level. She described the application as “frivolous and vexatious” and an abuse of process, noting that the defence had not raised any new or unsettled legal issues. The Magistrate also clarified that older case law cited by the defence, including the Dataram ruling, was outdated and not applicable under the Fugitive Offenders Amendment Act 2009. Concluding that the constitutional referral mechanism was not triggered, she affirmed that the extradition proceedings must continue, setting January 6, 2026, as the date for the commencement of the hearing.