ONE of the attorneys representing U.S.-indicted father and son duo, Azruddin and Nazar Mohamed, Siand Dhurjon, has publicly forecasted that the extradition proceedings will be defeated, raising public concern regarding influence in a legal matter involving U.S. sanctions and alleged international corruption.
Speaking to reporters outside of the court, Attorney-at-Law Dhurjon said with apparent certainty, the extradition proceedings will eventually fail.
He said: “These things will only result in one outcome, and that is the complete discharge of these proceedings at one stage or the other, at one court or another court. Make no mistake, the Mohameds are not going anywhere. These extradition proceedings will be overcome.”
Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman begun the committal proceedings on Tuesday, which will decide whether the father and son can be formally extradited to the United States to face the pending indictments.
However, Dhurjon’s comments have raised concerns about the possibility of whether undue confidence or perceived influence could steer the proceedings, which are meant to be strictly judicial and impartial.
The magistrate, on Tuesday, rejected an application by the Mohameds to halt the extradition proceedings.
The ruling came despite what Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, described as an effort by their lawyers to delay the extradition proceedings through frivolous litigation.
It also followed Monday’s refusal by Acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh of an application seeking to stay the extradition proceedings for the Mohameds.
The Mohameds—owners of Mohamed’s Enterprise—remain on bail as the extradition proceedings continue.
U.S. prosecutors have accused the father and son of running an international criminal network with alleged links to “high offices” in Venezuela and the Middle East.
The pair face 11 criminal counts in the U.S. Southern District of Florida involving alleged wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, and customs violations tied to what authorities describe as a US$50 million gold- export and tax-evasion scheme.
The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned both men in June 2024 for alleged gold smuggling and public corruption.
The US investigation dates back to the mid-2010s and involved multiple agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security.
