‘It’s Our Duty’ …Nandlall defends gov’t’s US$62,000 payout to Jamaican lawyers in Mohameds extradition case

Nov 12, 2025 News

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…says taxpayers must foot bill under international law

(Kaieteur News) – Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, has defended the Government of Guyana’s US$62,558 payment to Jamaican King’s Counsel Terrence F. Williams and his legal team for their role in the extradition proceedings against prominent businessmen Nazar Mohamed and his son Azruddin Mohamed.

Nandlall said the payment is standard international procedure, explaining that under extradition treaties, the requested country in this case, Guyana must bear the cost of legal representation, even when the case is brought by another state.

The extradition case involving the prominent gold dealers continued on Monday before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. During the proceedings, the legal team representing the U.S. Government, comprising Williams, KC, Celine Deidrick, Herbert McKenzie, and local attorney Glenn Hanoman submitted several documents to the court, including a diplomatic note and warrants from U.S. authorities. However, the prosecution sought additional time to obtain and disclose the full set of documents from the United States.

Following the hearing, Azruddin Mohamed took to Facebook to criticise the prosecution, accusing the government of using taxpayers’ money to cover the legal fees of the Jamaican attorneys. He also alleged bias in the appointment of attorney Glenn Hanoman. “This corrupt and incompetent cabal is blatantly lying to the Guyanese people that they are not paying for their legal services,” Mohamed wrote. “Nandlall is telling Guyanese that the U.S. appointed these Jamaican prosecutors. This is another blatant lie. Taxpayers are fully footing all the bills for their hefty legal fees.”

Later that evening, Kaieteur News reported that a leaked memorandum from the Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed the payment approval of US$62,558.78 (over GY$13 million) to Williams and his team for legal services provided on behalf of the Guyana Police Force (GPF). The memo, dated November 3, 2025, and titled “Justification for Legal Services Provided by Terrence F. Williams KC & Team Attorneys at Law for Case of Guyana Police Force vs. Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed for Extradition Proceedings for the period of October 2025,” bears the signature and stamp of Permanent Secretary Andre Ally. It authorises the Bank of Guyana to facilitate the wire transfer of funds to the Jamaican attorneys.

The document explicitly states that the payment was made for legal representation in the case of the Guyana Police Force vs. Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed, confirming that taxpayers are indeed funding the services of the U.S.-appointed legal team.

Further, according the U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), it pointed out that most extradition treaties require the requested country to bear the costs of the proceedings, except for translation and transportation expenses. The manual notes: “Most extradition treaties require the costs of extradition proceedings (other than translation of documents and costs associated with the transfer of the fugitive) to be borne by the requested country.”

However, speaking on the NCN television programme “Unpacking Fact with Fiction” on Monday night, Nandlall explained the legal framework governing such payments. He emphasised that while the lawyers represent the interests of the U.S. Government—the requesting state—Guyana, as the requested state, is obligated to cover the legal expenses. “The lawyers who are prosecuting this request are representing the interest of the United States government. The requesting state is whose interest is being prosecuted. So most naturally they have a say in who will represent their interest under international extradition law and practice under committee and reciprocity which govern extradition processes across the globe. The country to whom the request is made discharges the obligation of providing that legal counsel that legal representation obviously with the approval of the US Authority,” he said.

Nandlall added that, to avoid any perception of political interference, the U.S. Government requested that lawyers from outside of Guyana handle the proceedings. “In this case, because we wanted to avoid and insulate the process from any allegation of political interference, lawyers from outside of Guyana were brought in with the approval of the US government. And yes, the government of Guyana has to pay for that. Anybody can challenge me and call around the Caribbean or anywhere else and find out if that is not the usual practice. And so, the government of Guyana is paying, that is our duty in expedition law,” he explained.

The Attorney General drew parallels to a previous extradition case involving Marcus Bisram, in which Guyana requested the U.S. to extradite Bisram to stand trial for murder. “Guyana requested Bishram in Guyana from the United States to stand trial for murder in Guyana. The US government provided legal services and paid for those services and then send Bisram back here. That is the reciprocal responsibility and arrangement,” Nandlall explained.

Conflict of interest

Responding to Mohamed’s allegation of a conflict of interest involving attorney Glenn Hanoman, who has previously represented one of Mohamed’s business rivals, Nandlall clarified that Hanoman’s appointment was also at the request of the U.S. Government. He revealed that Hanoman, though well-known locally, is no longer resident in Guyana. “First of all, Glenn Hanoman lives in Portugal. He doesn’t live in Guyana. So that satisfies the very requirement. None of the lawyers are ordinarily resident in Guyana, including Glen Hanoman. Hanoman migrated from this country several years ago and lives in Portugal. And the US government also requested Glen Hanoman to represent their interest. What do you want Guyana to do? Reject them? ”Nandlall asked.

He added that Hanoman’s extensive experience in criminal and extradition law made him a suitable choice for the proceedings. “Glenn Hanoman is very experienced in extradition matters. Glenn Hanoman is a defence council of prominence in this country and has appeared particularly in the criminal arena and has done several extradition proceedings in Guyana. So, he’s very experienced in the area. Nobody’s questioning their lawyers. You can’t tell the American government who you want to prosecute you,” Nandlall asserted.

Opposition concerns

Meanwhile, opposition parties have voiced concerns about the government’s decision to pay the legal team.  Alliance For Change (AFC) Chairman David Patterson, speaking with Kaieteur News on Tuesday, described the arrangement as “a strange development,” questioning why the requesting country should not bear its own costs. “I am unaware of this being done previously,” Patterson said. “It either means the government has a more active hand in this affair, or something is fundamentally wrong with that principle. These matters normally take years, are you saying that Guyana will bear all those costs?”

Efforts to contact other opposition figures, including Amanza Walton-Desir of the Forward Guyana Movement and Aubrey Norton, leader of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), proved unsuccessful. The Mohameds, owners of Mohamed’s Enterprise, were arrested on October 31, 2025, following a warrant issued by a Georgetown magistrate in response to a formal extradition request from the United States Government. Their arrest came weeks after a U.S. Grand Jury in the Southern District of Florida unsealed an indictment on October 6, 2025, charging them with wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, aiding and abetting, and customs-related offences linked to a US$50 million gold export and tax evasion scheme. The businessmen were each granted $150,000 bail at their initial court appearance.

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• Anil Nandlall, Azruddin Mohamed, extradition, legal fees, Nazar Mohamed, payment, Terrence F. Williams

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