Mohameds’ extradition case resumes as prosecution tenders documents
September 3 2026
Extradition committal proceedings against businessmen Nazar Mohamed and his son, Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, resumed today before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, with the State formally tendering key evidentiary documents into evidence. The duo faces extradition to the United States on wire fraud and financial offense charges.
The session opened with procedural sparring as defence counsel Roysdale Forde, SC, and Siand Dhurjon petitioned the court to pause proceedings pending a constitutional appeal before the Guyana Court of Appeal.
Forde argued that continuing cross-examination could create a crisis of clarity and prejudice the defence if higher courts subsequently alter statutory and treaty interpretations.
He noted that the Caribbean Court of Justice had previously dismissed an interim stay, leaving the magistrate to manage the practical flow of the case without breaching higher orders.
Prosecuting counsel Terence Williams, KC, alongside Glenn Hanoman and Herbert McKenzie, strongly resisted the application, asserting that the defence was attempting to re-argue stays already refused by higher courts. Chief Magistrate Latchman ultimately rejected the request to freeze the case, ruling that she must abide by appellate directives that allow committal proceedings to continue, provided no final determination is rendered until the constitutional appeal is resolved.
While refusing to halt the overall hearing, the Chief Magistrate deferred further cross-examination of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Sharon Roopchand-Edwards, as planned questioning directly touches on treaty validity issues subject to the appellate challenge.
With Roopchand-Edwards temporarily excused, the prosecution shifted to formally introducing its central evidentiary bundle, including an Authority to Proceed and a Section 6 Certificate signed by Foreign Minister Hugh Todd, alongside US records authenticated by former US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Despite defence objections regarding non-original copies and chain of custody, the court granted the prosecution’s application and admitted several key documents into evidence.
The admitted materials included Exhibit C (the Authority to Proceed), Exhibit K (the Section 6 Certificate and the 1931 UK-US Extradition Treaty), Exhibits K1 through K5 (signed statutory treaty schedules), and Exhibits B1 through B61, which comprise identification records and Nazar Mohamed’s passport.
Head of the Special Branch, Senior Superintendent Prem Narine, subsequently took the witness stand to detail receiving the extradition materials and arrest warrants at the Attorney General’s Chambers in October 2025.
Narine recounted executing the arrest warrant against Azruddin Mohamed at the Brickdam Police Station, noting that officers facilitated a call to his attorney before processing and remanding him into custody.
Although defence counsel raised repeated objections regarding Narine’s custody and knowledge of the files, the court permitted several documents to be identified and tendered through him. The committal hearing will continue tomorrow at 9:00 AM with further testimony from Narine.
