Extradition Case Against Azruddin Mohamed, Dad Advances Despite Defense Appeal

News Americas, Georgetown, Guyana, Jan. 6, 2026: Extradition proceedings against Guyanese businessman Nazar Mohamed and his son, political leader of the WIN party and presumed Guyana opposition leader, Azruddin Mohamed, advanced on today after a Georgetown magistrate declined to suspend the matter, despite the defence filing an appeal to the Full Court.

Presiding at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman ruled that there was no legal basis to pause the committal proceedings, noting that no stay had been granted by a superior court. She subsequently directed the prosecution to begin presenting its case.

Earlier in the proceedings, defence attorneys served the court with a Notice of Appeal challenging a recent High Court ruling by Acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh, which refused an application to halt the extradition process. The defence argued that the magistrate’s court proceedings should be suspended pending the determination of constitutional issues raised in their challenge to Guyana’s extradition framework.

Magistrate Latchman, however, maintained that until a stay is formally ordered by the Full Court or another superior tribunal, the committal hearing must continue. In the absence of such an order, she ruled, the court was legally obliged to proceed.

As the case moves into the evidentiary phase, the prosecution is expected to call its first witness, Sharon Roopchand, Permanent Secretary at Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ruling followed submissions from the prosecution, led by King’s Counsel Terrence Williams, who argued that the mere filing of an appeal does not automatically suspend ongoing extradition proceedings. The magistrate accepted that position.

The extradition request was initiated by United States authorities, who are seeking the surrender of Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed in connection with federal criminal charges filed in the Southern District of Florida. The allegations relate to purported financial crimes linked to gold exports, including fraud and money laundering offences.

The matter is being heard under Guyana’s Fugitive Offenders Act and an existing extradition treaty between Guyana and the United States. Since late 2025, the defence has pursued multiple legal avenues aimed at delaying or stopping the extradition process, including constitutional litigation.

On Monday, Acting Chief Justice Singh dismissed the application for a stay, clearing the way for proceedings to continue in the magistrates’ court. Although the defence has since appealed that ruling, no order has been issued suspending the extradition hearing.

Both Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed remain on bail, subject to court-imposed conditions, as the committal proceedings continue.