By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News |
Extradition proceedings against businessman Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, entered a critical phase on Tuesday as the prosecution called its first witness and formally tendered key extradition documents before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
The witness, Sharon Roopchand-Edwards, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provided detailed testimony on the receipt and handling of the extradition request submitted by the United States. Her evidence outlined, in detail, how the request was processed at the ministerial level in accordance with established protocol.
Roopchand-Edwards told the court that on October 30, 2025, she received a package from U.S. authorities containing a bundle of documents, including an envelope marked Diplomatic Note No. 417. Upon reviewing the contents, she said she immediately informed the Minister of Home Affairs, Oneidge Walrond, and personally delivered the package to her on the same day.
She further testified that she later recognised and identified the Minister’s Order to Proceed in the matter, confirming that the signature on the document was authentic. Roopchand-Edwards said she was familiar with Minister Walrond’s signature due to her prior service as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism between 2020 and 2025.
During her testimony, prosecutors applied to have Diplomatic Note 417 and its accompanying documents shown to the witness for identification and formally admitted into evidence. Defence attorney Siand Dhurjon objected, questioning the witness’s authority to authenticate the documents and whether all required procedural steps had been followed.
After hearing submissions from both sides, Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman overruled the objections and admitted the diplomatic note and related documents into evidence.
Following the ruling, the defence mounted a further challenge, arguing that the Order to Proceed refers only to foreign offences and does not clearly specify the corresponding offences under Guyanese law. Defence attorneys contended that the Mohameds are entitled to know which local offences are alleged to mirror the allegations set out in the United States indictment before the committal hearing concludes.
In response, prosecutors led by Terrence Williams outlined a range of domestic offences they say align with the extradition request. These include conspiracy under the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, computer-related fraud under the Cybercrime Act, obtaining by false pretence, forgery of public documents, false declarations under the Customs Act, and conspiracy to commit money laundering under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act.
Earlier in the day, the defence had also sought to halt the proceedings, arguing that related legal challenges remain before the High Court, including an appeal filed against a constitutional ruling delivered on Monday by Acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh. Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde urged the magistrate to pause the extradition inquiry until those matters are resolved.
With the first witness having testified and the core diplomatic documents now formally on the court record, the extradition proceedings are scheduled to continue on Thursday, January 8.
