US extradition request: US sanctioned father, son duo extradition stalls again amid contested dengue ‘diagnosis’

Extradition proceedings involving United States (US) sanctioned and indicated Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, were again stalled on Tuesday after Azruddin Mohamed failed to appear in Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, citing a dengue ‘diagnosis’. His Attorney Roysdale Forde, informed Magistrate Judy Latchman that Mohamed was suffering from dengue fever and was unable to attend even via Zoom.

The lawyer also said that he requires 12 days of rest. He added that Mohamed was experiencing fever, chills, a massive headache, and was “drowsy and incoherent” due to prescribed medication. Given the circumstances, the Magistrate ordered that the attending physician, gynecologist Dr Kawal Dalip, be summoned to provide testimony regarding Mohamed’s medical condition and his ability to participate in the extradition proceedings. The morning session was adjourned to 13:00h. When proceedings resumed in the afternoon, Dr Dalip, who operates a clinic along Sandy Babb Street, Kitty, Georgetown confirmed that he had diagnosed Mohamed with dengue and had issued 12 days’ sick leave. He explained that the rest period represented a maximum recommendation and that a reassessment was expected after about 10 days. “I clinically diagnosed Mr Mohamed based on symptoms and later relied on lab results from my facility,” he told the court. He maintained that Mohamed’s condition, along with the effects of medication, would prevent him from appearing even via Zoom.

Reliability of diagnosis
However, Prosecutor for the US Glen Hanoman raised concerns regarding the timing and reliability of the diagnosis. He questioned how the defendant could have been diagnosed at 11:30h, when the blood sample was reportedly collected at 11:50h, and highlighted the presence of a positive sickle cell result, a condition Mohamed has not previously been known to have. “It is impossible to confirm dengue before testing,” Hanoman said. He expressed fears that the lab work could have belonged to another patient and had simply been attributed to Mohamed, stating that the document stated that Azruddin was positive for sickle cell.
Dr Dalip however, described the anomalous results as a false positive but defended his clinical diagnosis. When asked by the Magistrate if Azruddin Mohamed can appear in court virtually, he explained that the prescribed medication could cause drowsiness, preventing Mohamed from participating in virtual proceedings. Hanoman challenged the recommended sick leave, noting that dengue cases typically require three to five days of rest, while Dr Dalip maintained that 12 to 14 days was appropriate.

No new blood test
Despite the prosecution’s concerns, the Magistrate accepted the medical report and did not order a retest nor new blood test. Forde insisted, “No new blood test would be taken. The original lab is certified, and the medical evidence submitted is sufficient.” Magistrate Latchman clarified that the doctor was not under formal cross-examination, but that the court was seeking clarification on the medical report. It was also disclosed that the blood sample had been collected by a staff member of the doctor’s facility. The prosecution expressed interest in questioning both the collector and another individual associated with the lab process.
Hanoman formally requested that Mohamed undergo an independent test at a separate laboratory equipped to conduct PCR testing. However, Forde rejected the proposal, insisting that the original lab was certified and that his client would not submit to any further testing. Despite the concerns raised by the prosecution, Magistrate Latchman accepted the medical report and ruled that, given the stated condition and recommended recovery period, the matter would be adjourned. The proceedings are now set to resume from April 7 to April 10. The case had only resumed on Tuesday after previous delays, including reported illnesses among the Mohameds, the attorneys’ relatives, and the Mohamed family’s observance of the Eid holidays. The delay was also due to procedural issues relating to the submission of documentation in the extradition matter. The extradition process stems from charges filed in the US, where a federal grand jury in Florida indicted both Mohamed and his father on allegations including wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion connected to gold shipments from Guyana. Prosecutors allege that from 2017 to 2024, official Government seals taken from a single legitimate gold shipment were reused to validate several additional shipments. US authorities estimate that the alleged scheme resulted in approximately US$50 million in lost revenue for the Guyanese state. If convicted, most of the 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 up to US$500,000 or the value of the laundered property. The US Government is also seeking forfeiture of certain assets connected to the accused.