Prosecutor rejects claim on Mohameds’ extradition papers
March 17 2026
Prosecuting attorney Glenn Hanoman has rejected claims by the defence that key extradition documents related to United States-indicted businessmen Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed were never received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Speaking with reporters following Monday’s extradition proceedings at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, Hanoman described the suggestion as “a highly strange position to adopt,” noting that records already before the court contradict the assertion.
According to Hanoman, court time was largely consumed with discussions surrounding the Mohameds’ alleged breach of the reporting conditions of their bail, as well as the defence’s request to review specific record books used to track official correspondence at the ministry.
“Today, a lot of time was taken up with us discussing the breach of the reporting conditions, and some more time was taken up because some books were requested, and then the mechanics of photocopying and tendering those pages,” Hanoman explained.
He noted that the process significantly reduced the amount of time available for the taking of evidence.
Addressing the defence’s claim, the prosecutor pointed out that the relevant documents were already submitted to the court as part of the extradition proceedings. Hanoman said one set of records was received on October 30, 2025, while another bundle arrived on November 26, 2025.
“I think today the theory of the defence is that they were suggesting that those documents were never received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is a highly strange position to adopt,” he said.
During the hearing, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Sharon Roopchand-Edwards, presented two official record books to the court.
These included the Ministry’s Correspondence Register and the Office of the Permanent Secretary’s Incoming Correspondence Register.
Both the prosecution and defence were allowed to examine the records, although the court prohibited photographs from being taken.
Among the documents already tendered in the extradition proceedings are a diplomatic note from the United States requesting the extradition of Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed, a bundle of supporting extradition documents transmitted through diplomatic channels, and an authenticated declaration from the U.S. Secretary of State verifying the request and accompanying materials.
Cross-examination of Roopchand-Edwards is expected to continue when the extradition hearing resumes today.
The Mohameds are being represented by Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde, assisted by attorneys Siand Dhurjon and Damien Da Silva. Besides Hanoman, the prosecution team in the extradition proceedings is comprised of Jamaican King’s Counsel Terrence Williams, along with fellow Jamaican attorneys Herbert McKenzie, Celine Dedrick, who are representing the interest of the United States.
Hanoman has previously complained that lines of questioning pursued by the defence have caused significant delays in the proceedings, which began on January 6.
The extradition case stems from an indictment filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The Mohameds face a total of 11 criminal charges. Ten of those counts are jointly brought against both men, while Azruddin Mohamed faces an additional allegation related to the importation of a luxury vehicle.
United States prosecutors allege that the charges stem from a scheme involving wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering and customs offences connected to the export of gold from Guyana to the United States.
In June 2024, Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed were sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for allegedly being involved in a gold smuggling scheme in which large quantities of gold were fraudulently declared and exported from Guyana, reportedly depriving the state of significant tax revenue.
Investigators claim the operation allowed large quantities of gold to be shipped while avoiding the payment of taxes and royalties owed to the Guyanese state, resulting in losses estimated at approximately US$50 million.
Nazar Mohamed, 72, and his 39-year-old son were arrested in Georgetown on October 31, 2025, one day after the extradition request was transmitted to the Guyanese authorities. The two men were later granted bail in the sum of $150,000 each.
As part of their bail conditions, they were required to surrender their passports and report every Friday to the Ruimveldt Police Station while the extradition proceedings remain ongoing before the court.
Azruddin currently serves as Leader of the Opposition following the 2025 General and Regional Elections, where his party, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), secured the second highest number of votes.
