Extradition Hearing For US-Indicted Guyanese MP And Next Opposition Leader -Azruddin Mohamed – Set to Resume Next Year

News Americas, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Weds. Dec. 10, 2025: The extradition proceedings for US-indicted Guyanese MP and next opposition leader, WIN Party founder and businessmen Azruddin Mohamed, and his father, Nazar Mohamed, will continue in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on January 6, 2026, after Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman rejected a defense request to transfer the matter to the High Court.

MP Azruddin Mohamed, second from l., stands with his lawyers outside the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court during his ongoing US extradition proceedings.

The ruling came today during a brief hearing in which the Mohameds’ legal team argued that the extradition request raised constitutional issues that should be determined at the higher court level. They further contended that recent amendments to Guyana’s Fugitive Offenders Act required judicial clarification before the extradition matter could proceed.

Magistrate Latchman disagreed, ruling that the extradition proceedings fall squarely within the jurisdiction of the magistracy and that there was no legal basis to pause or elevate the matter. As a result, the substantive hearing will continue before her court in early 2026.

Bail Conditions Remain in Place

Both Azruddin and Nazar Mohamed remain on $150,000 bail each and must continue to report periodically to the police as required by the court. The father-son duo has been under scrutiny since US authorities issued a sweeping indictment accusing them of participating in a multimillion-dollar gold-smuggling and money-laundering network.

The men are wanted in the United States to face 11 felony charges filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The charges include wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering, with prosecutors alleging that the gold-export operations of their company, Mohamed’s Enterprises, were used to defraud the US government, falsify documentation, and disguise the origins of gold shipped into the country.

According to US court filings referenced in their indictment, the alleged scheme involved the manipulation of export records and financial transactions designed to sidestep US reporting requirements and funnel illicit proceeds through the American financial system.

Extradition Request Formally Received In October

Guyana formally received the US extradition request on October 30, 2025, following diplomatic communications between Georgetown and Washington. The request was submitted pursuant to the long-standing Extradition Treaty between the United States and the United Kingdom, which continues to apply to Guyana under Section 4(1)(a) of the Fugitive Offenders Act — recently amended by Act No. 10 of 2024.

Those amendments strengthened Guyana’s extradition framework, clarified procedures related to fugitive offenders, and aligned local law more closely with international standards. The Mohameds’ attorneys have argued that these revisions introduce constitutional questions about due process, retroactivity, and judicial power — claims the Magistrate dismissed today.

Background: OFAC Sanctions and US Criminal Probe

This extradition case is the latest development in a series of escalating actions by US authorities against the prominent Guyanese businessmen.

In 2023, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, (OFAC), sanctioned Mohamed’s Enterprises, Azruddin Mohamed, and Nazar Mohamed for alleged involvement in corrupt and transnational criminal activity, restricting their access to the US financial system.

Those sanctions were followed by a federal criminal investigation that culminated in the 2025 indictment announced by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

What Happens Next

When the matter resumes on January 6, 2026, the Magistrate’s Court is expected to hear substantive arguments on the applicability of the extradition treaty, the evidentiary submissions from US authorities, and the defense’s position on whether the alleged offenses qualify for extradition under Guyanese law.

Legal observers anticipate a protracted battle, with the Mohameds likely preparing parallel constitutional motions while simultaneously challenging the admissibility and sufficiency of the US evidence.

For now, however, Magistrate Latchman’s ruling ensures that the extradition proceedings will remain on track – and that the high-profile case will continue to unfold in the local courts well into the new year.