Guyana opposition leader and US-indicted businessman Azruddin Mohamed was on Thursday denied a further adjournment of his extradition committal hearing in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, despite arguments that his constitutional responsibilities as Leader of the Opposition required his full attention.
The application was made by Attorney-at-Law Siand Dhurjon before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman, who told the court that Azruddin’s duties in the National Assembly, particularly during the ongoing budget debates and the upcoming line-by-line consideration of estimates, made it necessary for him to dedicate his time and focus to parliamentary proceedings.
He argued that granting the adjournment would be in the public interest.
Dhurjon further explained that Mohamed’s role in Parliament extended beyond delivering a speech, as he was required to listen to hours of debate, identify key issues, and respond to points raised by the government.
As such, he described it as “unfair” to continue the committal proceedings during this period and added that Mohamed was suffering from a migraine and was taking medication.
But Magistrate Latchman rejected the request.
Speaking after the court session, special prosecutor Terrence Williams argued that the court proceedings needed to move ahead without delays.
The matter continues today, February 6.
The extradition of the Mohameds is being sought under the Guyana–United Kingdom extradition treaty, which continues to operate in Guyana pursuant to Section 4(1)(a) of the Fugitive Offenders Act, Cap. 10:04, as amended by Act No. 10 of 2024. The extradition request was formally submitted by the US Government on October 30, 2025.
On June 11, 2024, the Mohameds, along with their businesses, were sanctioned by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for large-scale corruption, including gold smuggling, money laundering, and bribery, which involved avoiding over $50 million in taxes for the Guyanese Government.
The father-son duo has also been indicted by a grand jury in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida on 11 criminal charges ranging from wire fraud and mail fraud to money laundering, primarily connected to the export of gold to the US by their company, Mohamed’s Enterprises.
If convicted, most charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and fines of up to US$250,000, while the money laundering charge carries a fine of US$500,000 or the value of the laundered property.
