–prosecutor laments, as case continues today

IN the ongoing extradition proceedings against US-indicted businessmen, Nazar Mohamed and his son Azruddin Mohamed, the first witness has been under cross-examination for over two months.
This was according to one of the prosecuting attorneys in the case, Glen Hanoman, who told members of the press following Tuesday’s hearing that the witness, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Sharon Roopchand-Edwards, has been under cross-examination since January.
“We’re inching towards the end of cross-examination of the first witness… that witness was first called on the 6th of January. So, she’s been under cross-examination now for about almost two and a half months, a masterclass in delay,” he said.
When the case continued on Tuesday morning before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman, Roopchand-Edwards faced questions from defence attorney Roysdale Forde, S.C.
The Permanent Secretary outlined the administrative handling of correspondence received by the ministry in late October and November 2025, including documents linked to extradition requests.
She indicated that entries in the ministry’s incoming correspondence registers were made by members of the secretariat based on information she provided after receiving the documents.
The court heard that the records reflect the receipt of extradition-related correspondence from the United States.
In relation to correspondence received on October 30, 2025, the Permanent Secretary explained that she collected the documents and subsequently informed her staff of their arrival on the morning of October 31.
Roopchand-Edwards further confirmed that correspondence entries were made by different staff members within the secretariat, and noted that she provided information used to guide the recording of same.

Following intense and continued questioning on the receipt of documents and various other recordings made in various logs, continued cross-examination was deferred.
The case is expected to continue today, with Roopchand-Edwards expected to take the stand again.
The extradition case stems from a request by the United States, which is seeking the men to face charges linked to alleged gold smuggling and violation of customs laws.
On the morning of October 31, 2025, businessman Nazar Mohamed and his son Azruddin Mohamed were taken into custody in Georgetown following an extradition request from the United States, which had been transmitted the previous day.
The father and son are the subjects of an 11-count indictment filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. They are jointly charged on 10 of those counts, while Azruddin Mohamed faces an additional charge relating to the importation of a 2020 Lamborghini Roadster SVJ into Guyana.
Court filings allege that the two conspired to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, and customs-related offences, including conspiracy, aiding and abetting. The allegations are linked to what investigators describe as a US$50 million gold export and tax-evasion scheme.
The indictment was handed down by a grand jury in October 2025.
In June 2024, both men and their associated companies were sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, a division of the United States Department of the Treasury, over allegations of gold smuggling and large-scale corruption. The sanctions announcement also referenced claims that more than US$50 million in taxes owed to the Guyanese state had been evaded.
United States authorities are believed to have begun investigating the Mohameds as far back as the mid-2010s. The probe reportedly involved intelligence sharing and law-enforcement co-operation between Guyana and the United States.
Several American agencies were involved in the investigation, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security.
Prosecutors allege that between 2017 and 2024, the two businessmen participated in a scheme to export large quantities of gold from Guyana to the United States, using falsified customs declarations and reused government export seals.
Investigators claim the operation enabled the shipment of more than 10,000 kilogrammes of gold while avoiding the payment of taxes and royalties owed to the Guyanese state.
United States authorities further contend that the alleged scheme resulted in approximately US$50 million in losses to taxes and duties and involved acts of wire and mail fraud, money laundering and conspiracy.
The indictment also references a shipment of gold valued at approximately US$5.3 million that was seized at Miami International Airport during the course of the investigation.