CoA to rule on Mohameds’ bid to quash extradition case
March 10 2026
The Court of Appeal of Guyana is expected to rule on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, on a substantive appeal filed by businessmen Azruddin Mohamed and Nazar Mohamed challenging aspects of the process related to their extradition to the United States of America (USA).
Azruddin Mohamed, 39, who also serves as Leader of the Opposition, and his 72-year-old father Nazar Mohamed have asked the court to determine constitutional issues arising from their case.
The appellate court had previously denied an application by the Mohameds seeking to halt the extradition proceedings presently before the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court pending the hearing and determination of their appeal.
The judges must now rule on their substantive application, which raises constitutional questions stemming from amendments made to the Fugitive Offenders Act (Guyana) in 2009, along with allegations of bias connected to the decision authorising their extradition.
Ultimately, the Mohameds have asked the higher court to quash the extradition proceedings, arguing that the process was unlawful due to constitutional issues arising from amendments to the law and alleged bias in the decision authorising their extradition.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, SC, who appeared as the second respondent, argued that the application lacks merit. Speaking with reporters outside the courtroom, Nandlall said the appeal had little prospect of success.
“It was hopeless from the beginning, and the stay was rejected. It was rejected because the appeal has no likelihood of success. A stay is granted once you have a strong appeal. If the appeal doesn’t have any merit, then a stay will not be granted,” he said.
Appearing on behalf of Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond, Trinidadian Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes told the court that the minister had merely discharged her administrative responsibility by issuing the authority to proceed with the extradition request.
An authority to proceed is a formal authorization issued by the government—usually through the Minister responsible for extradition matters—allowing extradition proceedings to begin in court.
In extradition cases in Guyana, once a request is received from another country, the Minister of Home Affairs reviews the request.
If it meets the legal requirements, the minister issues an authority to proceed, which then allows a magistrate to start the extradition hearing to determine whether the person should be surrendered to the requesting country.
Nandlall also rejected claims that the minister acted with bias, describing the allegation as unfounded. “No case of bias can be proved. The case of bias against the Minister is manufactured and contrived,” he said.
He further argued that accepting such claims could undermine the extradition process.
“If that case of bias is to apply, then someone can simply enter into the political arena against the government of the day and then invoke that argument of bias. If that is the law, then extradition processes are going to be shut down,” he contended.
The appeal was heard by Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary Roxane George, SC, along with Justices of Appeal Rishi Persaud and Nareshwar Harnanan.
The appeal stems from a February 4 ruling by Chief Justice (ag) Navindra Singh, who dismissed the Mohameds’ legal challenge to the authority to proceed and rejected their claim that Home Affairs acted with bias in authorising the extradition process.
Meanwhile, the extradition proceedings continue before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Courts, where the matter is scheduled to resume on Thursday.
Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed are being pursued under the Guyana–United Kingdom Extradition Treaty, as retained under Section 4(1)(a) of the Fugitive Offenders Act, Cap. 10:04, updated by Act No. 10 of 2024.
The father-son duo, along with their business interests, were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on June 11, 2024, over allegations of large-scale corruption, including gold smuggling, money laundering, and bribery.
Investigations indicate attempts to evade over US$50 million in taxes owed to the Guyanese government.
A grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida has indicted Nazar and Azruddin on 11 counts, including wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering, primarily linked to the export of gold by Mohamed’s Enterprises to the United States.
Convictions on most charges carry maximum penalties of 20 years imprisonment and fines up to US$250,000, while the money laundering charge carries a potential fine of US$500,000 or the value of laundered assets.
Both defendants remain out on bail of $150,000 each as the extradition process continues, having surrendered their passports. They are also required to report weekly to Ruimveldt Police Station.
