HGP Nightly News – Attorney General Anil Nandlall has dismissed the latest court challenge brought by Azruddin Mohamed and his father as a calculated attempt to slow down extradition proceedings, insisting the law is clear and the strategy is unlikely to succeed.
Speaking with reporters after court proceedings on Tuesday, Nandlall said he does not believe any serious legal issues have been raised by the applicants, describing the challenge as part of what he claims is an expressed intent to delay the matter.
“In my view, no serious issues have been raised,” the Attorney General said, while acknowledging that the court must still hear the arguments. “I believe this is part and parcel of the expressed intent of one of the applicants…to delay this matter. I don’t think that they will succeed. Extradition law is quite settled. This is not one of the complicated cases.”
Nandlall argued that Guyana’s extradition framework already provides extensive safeguards and appeal mechanisms, making what he described as “collateral challenges” unnecessary.
He explained that under the Fugitive Offenders Act, a person subject to extradition has clear legal avenues to challenge decisions at multiple stages. According to the Attorney General, once a magistrate rules, that decision can be challenged in the High Court and then appealed to the Court of Appeal, with proceedings automatically stayed while each challenge is heard.
“The law itself has a very elaborate and comprehensive system,” Nandlall said. “Every time a challenge is made, proceedings are stayed until those challenges are determined. There is no need therefore for these collateral excursions.”
He maintained that the built-in safeguards ensure due process and fairness, and suggested the additional applications are intended to delay proceedings rather than address genuine legal concerns.
The extradition of the Mohameds is being pursued under the Guyana–United Kingdom extradition treaty, which remains in force pursuant to Section 4(1)(a) of the Fugitive Offenders Act, Cap. 10:04, as amended by Act No. 10 of 2024. The formal extradition request was submitted by the United States Government on October 30, 2025.
The father and son have been indicted by a grand jury in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida on 11 criminal charges, including wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering. The charges are primarily linked to the export of gold to the United States by their company, Mohamed’s Enterprises.
If convicted, most of the charges carry potential sentences of up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to US$250,000. The money laundering charge carries a possible fine of US$500,000 or the value of the laundered property.
The indictment follows sanctions imposed more than a year ago by the US Government on the Mohameds, their businesses, and then Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mae Thomas, in relation to the same allegations.
According to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the sanctions stem from alleged tax evasion linked to gold exports. OFAC stated that between 2019 and 2023, Mohamed’s Enterprise allegedly omitted more than 10,000 kilograms of gold from import and export declarations and avoided paying more than US$50 million in duty taxes to the Government of Guyana.
As the legal battle intensifies, Nandlall has signalled confidence that the courts will not entertain what he describes as attempts to derail a process governed by settled law.
