— Regional court rejects bid for stay; committal hearing set to resume Thursday

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has rejected another attempt by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and his father, businessman Nazar Mohamed, to interrupt the extradition proceedings being heard before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman.
The Tuesday decision was confirmed by Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, clearing the way for the committal proceedings to resume on Thursday, September 3, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, in accordance with the recent directions of the Court of Appeal.
The Guyana Chronicle understands that the Mohameds had approached the CCJ seeking special leave to appeal the Court of Appeal’s August 27 ruling and a stay of the extradition proceedings.

The development follows a series of legal challenges mounted by the father and son since extradition proceedings began in January 2026. The latest challenge arose from their constitutional appeal against aspects of the Fugitive Offenders (Amendment) Act.
In February, Acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh found Section 8(3)(B) of the legislation unconstitutional while upholding the constitutionality of the other provisions challenged by the Mohameds. The men subsequently appealed that decision to the Court of Appeal and sought to have the extradition proceedings stayed until the constitutional issues were determined.
The Court of Appeal, however, declined to bring the committal proceedings to a complete halt.
The appellate court, in its August 27 ruling, ordered that the proceedings before Magistrate Latchman continue, while prohibiting her from delivering a final decision until the constitutional appeal is heard and determined. The constitutional appeal has been expedited, with the substantive hearing scheduled for October 13, 2026.
The State had opposed the Mohameds’ application for a stay, arguing that the continuation of the committal proceedings would not render their constitutional appeal ineffective.
The State also argued that proceeding with the inquiry would not result in the immediate surrender of the men to the United States and that they would continue to have access to legal safeguards, including bail, habeas corpus and appellate remedies.
It further maintained that another interruption would cause additional delays to an already part-heard extradition inquiry.
The Court of Appeal accepted that the proceedings should not be completely halted, while putting safeguards in place to preserve the constitutional appeal. Tuesday’s CCJ decision is the latest development in a lengthy series of challenges to the extradition process.
Earlier this year, the Mohameds challenged the Authority to Proceed (ATP) issued by Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond, arguing that it was tainted by actual or apparent political bias.
The High Court dismissed that challenge on February 4, 2026, and the Court of Appeal upheld the decision on March 17. The Mohameds then moved to the CCJ.
On March 25, the regional court granted an interim stay, temporarily suspending the extradition proceedings while it considered their appeal.
The stay remained in place until July 29, when the CCJ unanimously dismissed the substantive appeal and discharged the interim stay.
The CCJ found no actual or apparent bias in Walrond’s decision to issue the ATP and upheld the lower courts’ decisions. The ruling cleared the way for the extradition proceedings to resume before Latchman.
The latest proceedings therefore center on a separate constitutional challenge to the legislation governing the extradition process, rather than the earlier bias challenge.
The extradition case stems from a request by the United States for the surrender of the Mohameds to face an 11-count federal indictment.

U.S. prosecutors alleged that the two businessmen participated in a multi-year scheme involving the export of Guyanese gold using falsified customs declarations and reused government export seals, allegedly resulting in the evasion of more than US$50 million in taxes and royalties.
The indictment includes allegations of wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and customs offences. The Mohameds have denied the allegations.
The two men were arrested on October 31, 2025, and each was granted $150,000 bail, with conditions requiring them to surrender their passports and report to the Ruimveldt Police Station every Friday.
The committal proceedings commenced on January 6, 2026, but have been repeatedly interrupted by the various legal challenges.
One witness has so far testified in the matter—Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sharon Roopchand-Edwards, who was being cross-examined when the proceedings were interrupted.
The proceedings are scheduled to resume before Magistrate Latchman on Thursday, September 3, with additional full-day hearings set for September 4, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
The Mohameds were sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 2024 over allegations of corruption and a gold-smuggling scheme and were subsequently indicted by U.S. prosecutors on related charges.