By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News |
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — Two foundational executive instruments establishing the legal basis for the United States’ extradition request against Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and his father, prominent businessman Nazar Mohamed, were formally marked and admitted into evidence before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
The statutory records—the Section 6 Certificate executed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation under the Fugitive Offenders Act (Cap. 10:04), alongside the Authority to Proceed (ATP) issued by the Minister of Home Affairs—were entered into the court record during the sworn testimony of Senior Superintendent of Police Prem Narine, Head of the Guyana Police Force’s Special Branch.
Special Branch Chief Details Extradition Machinery and 2025 Arrest
Taking the witness stand as committal hearings resumed, Senior Superintendent Narine detailed his procedural custody of diplomatic documents transmitted through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as his direct operational role in executing the arrest warrants:
- Statutory Compliance: Narine testified to receiving and authenticating the bilateral extradition requisition packets transmitted by the United States Department of State via diplomatic channels.
- Tendering Ministerial Orders: With the Section 6 Certificate and the Authority to Proceed entered into evidence, the State satisfied the threshold statutory conditions required to advance the committal inquiry under domestic extradition law.
- The Smyth Street Arrest: Narine provided a firsthand account of the operation conducted on October 31, 2025. Acting on warrants issued by the magistracy, Narine and an operational team intercepted Azruddin Mohamed while seated in a vehicle along Smyth Street, Georgetown.
- Notice of Extradition Warrants: Narine informed the court that he formally advised Mohamed of the standing provisional warrant related to an extradition request by the US Government, citing allegations of wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering tied to gold export enterprises.
- Right to Counsel: Mohamed was taken into custody and requested immediate communication with legal counsel; an initial call placed to one of his attorneys went unanswered before he was processed into detention.
Scope of the US Extradition Indictment
Federal prosecutors in the United States are seeking the extradition of both Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed to stand trial on multiple criminal charges, including:
- Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud.
- Substantive counts of money laundering and financial evasion connected to undeclared cross-border gold shipments and customs declarations.
Magisterial committal proceedings in Georgetown do not determine guilt or innocence on the substantive federal counts, but assess whether the State has established a prima facie evidentiary foundation warranting trial had the alleged conduct occurred under Guyanese jurisdiction.
Under an interim order issued by the Court of Appeal, the presiding Magistrate may proceed with hearing witness testimony, admitting documentary exhibits, and recording depositions, but remains restrained from making any final committal or discharge ruling until a separate constitutional challenge to the Fugitive Offenders Act is adjudicated by the appellate bench.
Extradition committal proceedings continue before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
