Court defers ruling on Mohameds’ constitutional challenge to block US extradition

Chief Justice (acting) Navindra Singh had set today, February 2, to deliver his ruling on the constitutional challenge and judicial review proceedings filed by US-indicted businessmen Azruddin and Nazar Mohamed in their bid to block their extradition to America.

However, he has now postponed that decision to Monday, February 9.

The Mohameds are essentially challenging sections of Guyana’s Fugitive Offenders Act and are seeking to quash the decision of the Minister of Home Affairs to issue the authority to proceed, which launched the extradition proceedings against the father-and son-duo.

The Mohameds, through their team of lawyers, submitted that the extradition process was tainted by presumed and apparent bias.

The extradition of the Mohameds is being sought under the Guyana–United Kingdom extradition treaty, which continues to operate in Guyana pursuant to Section 4(1)(a) of the Fugitive Offenders Act, Cap. 10:04, as amended by Act No. 10 of 2024. The extradition request was formally submitted by the US Government on October 30, 2025.

On June 11, 2024, the Mohameds, along with their businesses, were sanctioned by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for large-scale corruption, including gold smuggling, money laundering, and bribery, which involved avoiding over $50 million in taxes for the Guyanese Government.

The father-son duo have also been indicted by a grand jury in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida on 11 criminal charges ranging from wire fraud and mail fraud to money laundering, primarily connected to the export of gold to the US by their company, Mohamed’s Enterprises.

If convicted, most charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and fines of up to US$250,000, while the money laundering charge carries a fine of US$500,000 or the value of the laundered property.

Meanwhile, the substantive extradition proceedings before Magistrate Judy Latchman continue on February 5 and 6 at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.