GEORGETOWN – The possible extradition of businessmen Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, to the United States is virtually guaranteed, according to Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, who on Tuesday confirmed that the Guyana Government “will cooperate” with U.S. authorities once a formal request is made.
Nandlall made the definitive statement during his programme, Issues in the News on Tuesday, stressing that the indictments, which stem from an investigation by the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, should surprise “no one.”
The Mohameds, who were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2024, are indicted on 11 criminal charges ranging from wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering, primarily connected to the export of gold to the US by their company Mohamed’s Enterprises.
“No one ought to be surprised that these indictments were laid. They were long in the pipeline. The OFAC sanctions sent the first signal,” Nandlall contended.
The Extradition Mandate: Cooperation is Compulsory
The Attorney General clarified the precise mechanism for the extradition, stressing that the process will only be triggered by the U.S. Government but is then obligatory for Guyana. He explained that the next step is for the US to request of the Guyana Government, the extradition of the Mohameds.
“This process which will be embarked upon is a legal one and it’s contained in an extradition framework between the Government of the United States and the Government of Guyana,” he said. “The framework is captured in two main instruments: a treaty which dates back to (1931) between the United Kingdom and the United States and a piece of legislation known as the Fugitive Offenders Act which was amended as recently as 2024.”
Nandlall proudly noted that the legal foundation for extradition is deeply rooted, dating back over a century to when Guyana was a British colony. He pointed to a history of continuous cooperation, stressing, “In Guyana’s independent history at least, I know of no request for extradition that has been refused by any Government of Guyana.” He added that the enduring relationship is based upon mutuality and reciprocity.
Nandlall concluded: “Guyana has made it very clear that it is ready, willing and most able, to diligently discharge its legal duties and obligations on the current extradition framework that exists with the United States of America in relation to this matter. And we remain committed to that course. At this point in time, we are awaiting the request. Once the request is received, then the requisite legal process will unfold in accordance with the procedure set out in the law.”
Dismissal of Political Persecution Claims
Meanwhile, Nandlall sharply addressed the public claims made by Azruddin Mohamed, the WIN Party leader, that the US legal action is politically motivated by the ruling PPP to marginalize opponents.
He slammed the suggestion that local politics could influence the U.S. Department of Justice: “To conceive that the PPP has the ability to influence the mighty Department of Justice of the United States of America and the accompanying law enforcement agencies of the US to carry out political agendas of the PPP, to think that the PPP is able to persuade those mighty organisations to carry out its political agenda. That must be the product of a special mind. Nobody else would conceive something that is so outrageous,” he expressed.
The Mohameds are accused of conspiring to defraud the US and Guyanese Governments between 2017 and June 11, 2024, involving the unlawful export of gold and the transmission of fraudulent communications via foreign commerce. Guyana now awaits the official request to set the legal wheels in motion.
