Guyana Court Delays Ruling on US Extradition
GUYANA · JUSTICE
Key Facts
- The country Guyana is an English-speaking country on South America’s Caribbean coast, bordering Venezuela, Suriname and Brazil.
- Why it matters The United States wants Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, sent to Miami to face federal fraud and money-laundering charges.
- What happened Guyana’s Court of Appeal heard the Mohameds’ challenge to the extradition law on Tuesday 13 October and reserved its ruling.
- The numbers Three judges have up to one month to weigh more than 2,000 pages of submissions and legal authorities.
- The US angle Both men have been under US Treasury sanctions since 11 June 2024 over an alleged scheme to dodge gold duties owed to Guyana.
- Still open When the judges rule, whether the law survives, and whether police charge Azruddin Mohamed over a separate shooting incident on 12 October.
Guyana’s Court of Appeal reserved its ruling on Tuesday 13 October in the Mohameds’ challenge to the country’s extradition law. Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, brought the case, and the United States wants to try both men in Miami.
Until the judges rule, the magistrate hearing the US request cannot decide it, and both men are also under US Treasury sanctions. Azruddin Mohamed missed the hearing because he was in police custody after a shooting incident in Georgetown late on Monday 12 October.
What the Court Heard on 13 October
The panel was led by Acting Chancellor Roxane George, the head of Guyana’s judiciary, with Justices of Appeal Rishi Persaud and Nareshwar Harnanan. Attorney General Anil Nandlall, the government’s chief legal adviser, defended the law in person, and Nazar Mohamed attended.
Azruddin Mohamed leads We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), the main opposition party, and was elected Opposition Leader on 26 January 2026. His father, Nazar Mohamed, founded the family’s gold trading firm, Mohamed’s Enterprise, which sits at the heart of the US case.
Roysdale Forde, the lawyer for the Mohameds, argued that parts of the Fugitive Offenders Act, Guyana’s extradition law, breach the Constitution. He relied on the rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement and the protection of the law.
Justice George said the ruling could take some time, as the court has up to one month to give judgment. The submissions and authorities run to more than 2,000 pages, iNews Guyana and Demerara Waves reported.
Azruddin Mohamed was absent because he remained in custody over a shooting near the home of Prem Narine, head of the police Special Branch. Police named him among three men arrested after Narine fired at their car, as covered in Guyana Opposition Leader Arrested After Shooting.
Why a US Promise Is at the Centre of the Case
The dispute turns on a clause of the Fugitive Offenders Act that deals with protection against re-extradition. The rule is meant to stop a person sent abroad from being handed on to a third country without a Guyanese minister’s consent.
Forde argued that the treaty with the United States, inherited from a colonial-era deal between Britain and Washington, does not expressly give that protection. He said a US assurance sent by diplomatic note in early December 2025 is not legally binding, Demerara Waves reported.
Nandlall replied that Guyana asked Washington for a written assurance and received one covering both men. According to Nandlall, the United States promised not to send them on to a third country for earlier offences without the consent of Guyana’s minister.
Nandlall said the treaty and that assurance together protect the Mohameds, and he called their fears “not founded in reality”. He added that the minister must still decide whether any surrender serves the interests of justice, subject to judicial review.
How the Case Reached the Appeal Court
The appeal targets a February 2026 ruling on the same law by Acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh. He struck down one provision of the act but found that protection against onward extradition was implied in the treaty, iNews Guyana reported.
The US request itself is before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman, after Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond issued the authority to proceed. She cannot give a final decision on the Mohameds until the appeal is decided, Demerara Waves and iNews Guyana reported.
What Washington Accuses the Mohameds Of
A federal grand jury in Miami indicted father and son on 2 October 2025, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said. Prosecutors allege they shipped at least 10,000 kilograms of gold through Miami while evading Guyana’s taxes on gold exports, causing an estimated US$50 million loss.
The 11-count indictment charges both men with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and with conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each also faces further fraud counts linked to specific emails or mailings, according to the court filing.
Prosecutors also accuse Azruddin Mohamed of a separate scheme to evade more than US$1 million in Guyanese taxes on a Lamborghini shipped from Miami. Under US law both men are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Separately, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the US Treasury’s sanctions office, sanctioned both men on 11 June 2024. It said their company, Mohamed’s Enterprise, left more than 10,000 kilograms of gold out of import and export declarations between 2019 and 2023.
What It Means for You
For US companies, banks and investors in Guyana’s oil-driven economy, the sanctions bar dealings with the Mohameds and their listed companies. That ban stands whatever the Court of Appeal decides, because it is a US measure, not a Guyanese one.
Guyana’s government said on Tuesday night that it has informed the US Justice Department about the shooting near Narine’s home. In a statement carried by Demerara Waves, it warned of risks to witness safety and of implications for the US criminal justice system.
The case also tests how far Washington can rely on Guyana’s courts to hand over people it wants to put on trial. A ruling against the law could delay the request further, while a ruling for the state would let the magistrate move towards a decision.
What Is Not Known
It is not known when within the one-month window the court will rule, or whether it will uphold the February judgment. Nor is it known whether the losing side would go on to the Caribbean Court of Justice, Guyana’s final court of appeal.
Police had not announced any charge over the shooting by early on Wednesday 14 October. Azruddin Mohamed says the pistol found in the car was planted, and it is unclear how that case will affect the extradition hearing.
More: Guyana news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Azruddin and Nazar Mohamed?
Azruddin Mohamed leads the main opposition party, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), and became Opposition Leader in January 2026. His father, Nazar Mohamed, founded their gold firm, Mohamed’s Enterprise, and both men have been under US Treasury sanctions since June 2024.
Is the Opposition Leader arrested after the Kitty shooting the same man?
Yes, police named Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, 39, as one of three men arrested late on Monday 12 October. He says officers tried to kill him and planted a pistol, and no charge had been announced by early on Wednesday.
What did the Court of Appeal decide on 13 October?
The three judges heard arguments on the extradition law and reserved their ruling. The court has up to one month to deliver its judgment.
What does the United States want?
Washington wants the Mohameds tried in federal court in Miami on fraud and money-laundering charges linked to gold exports. Guyana’s Attorney General says the United States has promised in writing not to send them on to a third country without Guyanese consent.
Can the extradition go ahead before the ruling?
No, the Chief Magistrate hearing the US request cannot give a final decision until the appeal is decided. Even after that, Guyana’s minister must still decide whether surrender serves the interests of justice.
Sources: US Department of the Treasury, 11 June 2024; US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida, 28 November 2025; US Department of Justice (indictment, case 25-cr-20441), 2 October 2025; News Room Guyana, 13 October 2026; iNews Guyana, 13 October 2026; Demerara Waves, 13 October 2026; Guyana Chronicle (Guyana Police Force statement), 13 October 2026; Demerara Waves (arrest), 13 October 2026; News Source Guyana (appeal hearing), 13 October 2026; News Source Guyana (government statement), 13 October 2026; Demerara Waves (US briefed), 13 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief