By: Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News |
The extradition proceedings involving businessman Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, will continue after Chief Justice Navindra Singh rejected an application seeking to halt the matter currently before the Magistrate’s Court.
As a result of the ruling, both men are expected to reappear before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman on Tuesday, as previously scheduled.
Attorneys representing the Mohameds have indicated they are preparing to appeal to the Full Court, following the Chief Justice’s refusal to halt the extradition inquiry at this stage. Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde, speaking after the decision, acknowledged the setback but maintained that the legal fight is far from over.
Despite the ruling, the defence has confirmed that a separate constitutional challenge will still be heard in the High Court. That challenge questions the legality and constitutionality of the Fugitive Offenders (Amendment) Act of 2009, under which the extradition process is being pursued.
The defence team has argued that allowing the extradition inquiry to proceed before those constitutional issues are determined could unfairly prejudice their clients. However, the Chief Justice’s decision means that the Magistrate’s Court proceedings will continue concurrently.
On December 10, 2025, Magistrate Latchman ruled that the extradition inquiry should move forward, setting January 6, 2026, as the next hearing date. Monday’s High Court ruling effectively clears the way for that process to resume without interruption.
Meanwhile, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall welcomed the court’s decision, stating that the state is satisfied with the outcome and confident in the legality of the extradition process.
The extradition request arises from an indictment filed on October 2, 2025, by a United States Grand Jury in the Southern District of Florida. Azruddin Mohamed and Nazar Mohamed face 11 criminal charges, including wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering.
U.S. authorities allege that Mohamed’s Enterprise was involved in a large-scale gold-smuggling operation between 2019 and 2023. According to the indictment, more than 10,000 kilograms of gold were allegedly omitted from official declarations, resulting in an estimated US$50 million in taxes evaded by the Guyanese state.
In June 2024, the Mohamed family and several associated businesses were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for alleged public corruption. The United States subsequently made a formal request for their extradition to face the charges.
As the legal battle continues, the case remains one of the most closely watched extradition matters in Guyana’s recent history, with significant legal, political, and diplomatic implications.
