-questions ‘who is in his pockets’

MINISTER within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy, has issued a scathing statement over the ongoing extradition proceedings involving businessmen Nazar Mohamed and his son, Azruddin Mohamed, raising concerns about attempts to delay their transfer to the United States.

McCoy directly questioned Azruddin Mohamed’s confidence that the extradition process could drag on for years. “What gives Azruddin Mohamed the confidence, the surety, that this extradition to the United States will drag on for five years? Who is in his pockets?” he asked.

The minister stressed that these are “not idle questions,” noting that they point to “something deeper, something worrying, especially when we consider the recurring pattern of judicial missteps and questionable legal conclusions that seem to have been trailing this case.”

He argued that Azruddin appears “both arrogant and foolish enough to think that all his manoeuvring can manufacture a delay of the inevitable.”

According to Minister McCoy, this behaviour is a continuation of a long-established pattern, reflecting a belief that wealth can shape outcomes.

“It is the same old behaviour we have seen before—the belief that his money can stretch far enough to shape outcomes, to bend justice and to rewrite consequences,” he said.

Highlighting the broader implications of the case, the minister stated that the allegations surrounding the Mohameds reveal a long-standing family practice.

“When we examine the matters for which Azruddin and Nazar Mohamed are implicated, it becomes impossible to ignore the pattern. What we see is a family tradition built on the philosophy of spending to escape the law,” he explained.

The minister described the conduct as part of a “mafia-like operation—do what you want, spend as much as you can, dodge accountability at all costs.” He warned that this kind of behaviour undermines public confidence in the justice system.

“It is precisely this corruptible type of behaviour, this attempt to buy time and favour that we must guard against. Because when individuals like this test the system, it is not just their integrity on trial, it is the credibility of our institutions,” McCoy said.

Concluding his statement, he challenged the judiciary to uphold justice despite the pressure. “Let us see whether the confidence the Mohameds exudes, the belief that he can kick the matter down the road and avoid extradition, will find the judiciary wanting or whether justice will rise above his money, his arrogance and his manipulation,” he stated.

On the morning of October 31, both father and son were taken into custody in Georgetown in connection with the extradition request from the U.S.

The extradition proceedings involving Nazar and Azruddin continued today before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The Mohameds—owners of Mohamed’s Enterprise—remain on $150,000 bail each.

Conditions of their bail required them to surrender their passports and report weekly to the Ruimveldt Police Station, measures intended to ensure their availability for ongoing legal proceedings. The father and son have been hit with an 11-count indictment in the U.S. Florida Southern District Court. The pair face 10 counts jointly, while Azruddin is charged with an additional count related to the importation of a 2020 Lamborghini Roadster SVJ into Guyana.

Court documents allege that Azruddin and his father conspired to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, aiding and abetting and customs-related violations connected to an alleged US$50 million gold export and tax evasion scheme.

The indictment was issued by a grand jury in October.

According to the filings, Nazar owns 90 per cent of Mohamed’s Enterprise, with Azruddin holding the remaining 10 per cent. The two face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the most serious charge.

In June 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Nazar and Azruddin for engaging in gold smuggling and public corruption, including the alleged defrauding of the Guyanese government of over US$50 million in unpaid duty taxes.

Mae Thomas, the former Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Labour, was also sanctioned for allegedly accepting bribes in exchange for facilitating the awarding of government contracts to the Mohameds.

U.S. authorities are believed to have launched their investigation into the Mohameds in the mid-2010s, supported by intelligence sharing and law enforcement cooperation between Guyana and the United States that dates back to around 2016–2017.

The probe involved several U.S. agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).