OPPOSITION Leader Azruddin Mohamed again sought to portray the ongoing extradition proceedings against him and his father, Nazar Mohamed, as a politically motivated effort by the Government of Guyana to remove him from the country, despite the legal record establishing that the request originated with the United States Government.
During a press conference on Monday, Mohamed continued to frame the proceedings as political victimisation, suggesting that the Guyanese Government wants him out of the country. However, the documented history of the case contradicts that portrayal, as the United States is the country seeking his extradition to face criminal charges.
The United States formally submitted its extradition request on October 30, 2025, prompting the commencement of proceedings under Guyana’s Fugitive Offenders Act. This followed Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions that were announced against the Mohameds in 2024, even before Azruddin’s announcement that he was running for office.
Regarding the indictment filed in the United States, the alleged offences include wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering and customs-related violations linked to the Mohameds’ gold-trading operations. Both men have denied wrongdoing and are contesting the proceedings.
Guyana’s role in the matter is to process the request through the established legal framework, with the courts responsible for determining whether the legal requirements for extradition have been satisfied.
Earlier this year U.S ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot had said that her government is “100 per cent committed” to pursuing the extradition of indicted businessman and his son.
Theriot had noted that the U.S. is adamant in seeing that justice is served both for Guyanese and U.S. citizens.
“I want to make it incredibly clear that the US is 100 per cent committed to seeing this through. It is incredibly important to us that these proceedings continue and that a decision is ultimately made. Obviously, we hope it will be a certain decision,” the ambassador had said, adding:
“The US government does not spend tens of thousands of US taxpayer dollars to request extradition if we’re not serious. We want to see this happen, and we want to see justice served, both for the Guyanese and the US people. So, we are very hopeful that the proceedings will continue apace, and we’ll get a decision relatively soon.”
Extradition proceedings had begun in late 2025 at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, with there being several adjournments since; most recently due to the health issues reported by the older Mohamed.
Theriot noted that the U.S. will continue to respect the due course of the law here in Guyana but stressed that authorities are committed to seeing the case through.
A federal grand jury in Miami had returned an indictment charging the father and son with participating in a multi-year scheme to evade millions of dollars in taxes and royalties owed to the Government of Guyana through fraudulent gold export practices and related money laundering activities.
According to court documents, Nazar and Azruddin 38, were owners of Mohamed’s Enterprise, a gold wholesaler and exporter in Guyana that sold gold to buyers in Miami and Dubai.
Guyanese authorities impose approximately a seven-per cent tax and duty on exported gold. From about 2017 through at least 2024, the pair allegedly enriched themselves and defrauded the Government of Guyana by concealing the true quantity and value of gold exported by their company.
The indictment alleges that the couple devised a system in which Mohamed’s Enterprise paid taxes and royalties on one shipment of gold to obtain official government seals, then reused those same seals on subsequent shipments to avoid paying additional taxes and royalties. To further their scheme, they allegedly shipped empty boxes bearing Guyanese government seals from Dubai through Miami to Guyana and paid bribes to customs and other government officials to facilitate the illegal shipments.
In total, the pair allegedly exported at least 10,000 kilograms of gold through Miami, causing an estimated loss of approximately $50 million to the Government of Guyana.
