• Says US ‘firmly believes’ father and son duo guilty

UNITED States Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot, has made it clear that the case against US-indicted businessmen Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed is grounded in what she described as strong, prosecutable evidence, not politics.

Speaking during an interview on Sources, hosted by Svetlana Marshall, Ambassador Theriot pushed back against any suggestion that the charges were politically motivated, asserting that the United States only pursues cases it is confident it can prove in court.

“So, the United States does not pursue criminal charges for political reasons. We do it because we have hard, unequivocal evidence against a person… Why would we take on a case we don’t think we’re going to win? That’s just a waste of US taxpayers’ money,” Theriot said.

She added, “So we firmly believe that they’re guilty of the crimes that they’re being indicted for.”

The ambassador stressed that the matter is now firmly within the jurisdiction of the Guyanese judicial system, noting that the US has already completed its part in bringing forward the indictment.

“It’s in the Guyanese Judiciary’s hands at this point… It is our indictment, right? It’s the US government’s indictment. The Government of Guyana did not indict the Mohameds, and I can assure you that there’s nothing political about it from the USA,” she stated.

At the same time, Theriot cautioned against any fallout that could threaten national stability, expressing hope that the legal process proceeds without disruption.

“I hope that destabilisation doesn’t occur… that would be really tragic, because we’re simply holding people that we believe are guilty of a crime accountable for that crime,” she said.

CASE NOW BEFORE CCJ

The ambassador’s comments come as extradition proceedings involving the father-and-son duo remain paused, following intervention by the Caribbean Court of Justice.

The CCJ recently granted a stay of the committal proceedings before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, pending the outcome of an appeal filed by the Mohameds.

The move followed an unsuccessful attempt by the businessmen to halt the process at the Court of Appeal, which dismissed their challenge to the Authority to Proceed and refused to grant a stay.

LONG-RUNNING PROBE

Nazar Mohamed, 72, and Azruddin Mohamed, 39, are the subjects of an 11-count indictment filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

They face charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, and customs-related offences. Prosecutors allege the offences stem from a large-scale gold export and tax evasion scheme valued at approximately US$50 million.

According to court filings, the pair allegedly exported more than 10,000 kilogrammes of gold between 2017 and 2024 using falsified customs declarations and reused export seals, enabling them to avoid taxes and duties owed to the Guyanese state.

Investigators further claim that a shipment of gold valued at US$5.3 million was intercepted at Miami International Airport during the probe.

The case has also drawn scrutiny from US financial regulators. In June 2024, the Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the Mohameds and their associated companies over allegations tied to gold smuggling and corruption.

US authorities are believed to have been investigating the businessmen since the mid-2010s, with agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Homeland Security involved.

Following the indictment by a grand jury in October 2025, the United States formally requested the extradition of the two men, leading to their arrest in Georgetown on October 31, 2025.

With the matter now before the CCJ, the outcome of the appeal will determine whether extradition proceedings resume locally.

But as Ambassador Theriot made clear, from Washington’s standpoint, the case is already built.

“We’re ready to move forward,” she said, maintaining that the charges are rooted strictly in law and evidence not politics.