— Expert warns of implications for Guyana
AS oral arguments commenced in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Monday in the high-profile extradition proceedings involving embattled businessmen Nazar Mohamed and his son, Azruddin Mohamed, US journalist and researcher, Thomas Anderson, says court records reveal that the day after the publicly unsealed grand jury indictment, U.S. prosecutors filed a “Restricted Unredacted Indictment” in the same case, meaning a more detailed, sealed indictment remains hidden from public view.
Anderson argues this isn’t a routine sealed filing but a sign that the prosecution may be dealing with sensitive evidence, possibly matters touching on national security or high-stakes financial crime investigations.
He warns that if the courts in Guyana allow Mohamed to evade extradition, the country risks being viewed internationally as a safe harbour for fugitives, even those facing charges of national or international significance.
In early October 2025, a U.S. grand jury in the Southern District of Florida indicted Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, on multiple charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, and customs violations tied to an alleged US$50 million gold-export tax-evasion scheme.
Extradition proceedings began in Guyana’s courts. As of late November 2025, prosecutors reportedly made full disclosure of U.S. materials in the case.
Sealed or restricted indictments in U.S. federal courts are not unusual. Legal doctrine explains that such filings are often used to protect ongoing investigations, guard the identities of cooperating witnesses, or preserve national-security interests.
But in this context, Anderson warns that, because of the possible severity of the unredacted charges, the consequences extend far beyond the courtroom. If Guyanese courts fail to extradite, the decision could send a signal internationally that Guyana tolerates impunity for large-scale financial crimes, undermining confidence in its judicial and law-enforcement systems.
Thomas Anderson is a government watchdog and the director of the DC-based Last Government Watchdog organisation. He is an expert in Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and has worked with various publications, including The New York Times and the New York Post, on stories related to the indictments against former Senator Bob Menendez.
He also co-authored the book Gold Bar Bob: The Downfall of the Most Corrupt U.S. Senator, along with Isabel Vincent.
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.
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 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 Guyana 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 co-operation 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 Investigations (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
