Mohameds’ extradition case in local courts put on hold by CCJ

Mar 26, 2026 News

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(Kaieteur News) – In a significant legal development on Wednesday, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) moved to stay extradition proceedings against sanctioned businessmen Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohamed, granting their attorneys a major victory and bringing the ongoing matter to a temporary halt.

The ruling comes after similar applications for a stay were previously denied by both The High Court and the Guyana Court of Appeal. With the CCJ’s intervention, the extradition committal proceedings before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court have now been paused.

The decision was handed down by a panel of judges, Winston Anderson, Maureen Rajnauth-Lee, and Chantal Ononaiwu, sitting in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The interim stay will remain in effect until the determination of the special leave application, the substantive appeal, or until further orders of the court.

Last Friday, attorneys for the Mohameds filed for special leave to appeal a recent Court of Appeal ruling which dismissed their claims of bias in the handling of the case. They also sought an order to halt the ongoing extradition proceedings. The CCJ responded swiftly, convening a case management hearing to address the application.

At the centre of the application is a challenge to the Court of Appeal’s decision, which upheld an earlier High Court ruling that rejected claims of political bias against Minister of Home Affairs, Oneidge Walrond, in issuing the Authority to Proceed (ATP). Both lower courts found that the minister acted in an administrative capacity and that the allegations of bias were unsubstantiated. However, the Mohameds’ legal team has maintained that those findings were flawed.

During the hearing, Justice Anderson emphasised that the court’s decision to grant the stay was guided by the “interest of justice,” highlighting the importance and urgency of the issues raised.

The CCJ treated the matter as urgent and granted all orders sought by the defence, including having the special leave application heard simultaneously with the substantive appeal. The court also directed that respondents file affidavits in opposition by April 2, 2026. Written submissions on the application for special leave are due by April 10, with replies to be filed by April 15.

The case is set to return to the CCJ on April 21, where both sides are expected to present arguments.

Defence attorney Siand Dhurjon explained that a favourable ruling could effectively bring the case to an end.

“If the Authority to Proceed is dismissed, it effectively kills the proceedings before the magistrate,” he stated.

However, he noted that if the court rules against them, the stay will be lifted and the State will be allowed to proceed with the extradition process.

Describing the development as a significant victory, Dhurjon said the legal team is “delighted,” but expressed concern about the route taken to reach Guyana’s apex court.

“We regret that we had to swim the ocean to get justice,” he said, noting that both The High Court and the Court of Appeal had denied the same request on identical legal grounds.

In a sharp critique, he asserted that the CCJ’s ruling “tacitly and implicitly” suggests that the earlier refusals by the Chief Justice and the Court of Appeal were incorrect.

He stressed that the key issue lies in jurisdiction, arguing that such fundamental questions must be resolved before proceedings continue at the magistrate level.

“You cannot allow the matter to run like a runaway train in the magistrate’s court without first settling these preliminary issues,” he said.

The Mohameds are currently facing a federal indictment in Miami, United States, following the unsealing of a 25-page document on October 30, 2025. The request seeks their extradition to answer to an 11-count indictment involving allegations of large-scale fraud, money laundering, customs violations, bribery, and the evasion of millions of dollars in taxes and royalties linked to gold exports.

Acting on a formal request from U.S. authorities, the minister signed the ATP, initiating the extradition process. Should sufficient evidence be presented during the committal proceedings, the magistrate could order their extradition to face the charges abroad.

Just on Tuesday, the matter was adjourned for 12 days after a medical report indicated that Azruddin Mohamed had been diagnosed with dengue, with the case set to resume on April 7. The proceedings, which began on October 31, 2025, had been ongoing almost daily, including the cross-examination of the prosecution’s first witness, Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary, Sharon Roopchand-Edwards.

However, following the CCJ’s ruling, that timeline has now been effectively suspended, clearing the way for arguments before the region’s highest court, where the State will be led by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, SC.

Meanwhile, the Attorney General, in a statement on his Facebook page, said the ruling was expected.

“A final court would normally preserve the status quo while the appeal is being heard. As expected, it has done so,” he stated.

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• Azruddin Mohamed, CCJ, extradition, Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, Nazar Mohamed

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