Extradition proceedings against U.S.-indicted businessman Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, advanced on Tuesday in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court following the formal presentation of key extradition documents, allowing the committal hearing to proceed despite repeated attempts to delay the process.
Presiding Magistrate Judy Latchman rejected a defense application to pause the proceedings, instructing the prosecution to call its first witness. “I have ruled. Let’s not have a kangaroo court at this time. Call the first witness,” she asserted firmly, addressing defense counsel Roysdale Forde, SC.
The defense, represented by Forde and Dhurjon, argued that pending legal challenges before the High Court warranted a hold on the proceedings, citing an appeal filed against a recent constitutional ruling by Acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh. They maintained that the Chief Justice’s decision addressed only constitutional amendments to the Fugitive Offenders’ Act and did not impact the legality of the extradition process itself. They also highlighted an unresolved judicial review application seeking a stay of the extradition proceedings.
However, prosecutors, led by King’s Counsel Terrence Williams, countered that there is no current stay in effect and no legal grounds to halt the committal hearing. The magistrate concurred, allowing the prosecution to move forward.
The first witness, Sharon Roopchand-Edwards, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, testified about the process behind the extradition request from the United States. She confirmed that on October 30, 2025, she received a package containing documents, including Diplomatic Note No. 417, a type of diplomatic correspondence carrying distinctive features such as seals and signatures from the U.S. Secretary of State.
Following her confirmation, the prosecution applied to have Diplomatic Note 417 and its documents formally identified and admitted into evidence. The defense raised objections regarding the witness’s authority and procedural requirements, but Magistrate Latchman overruled these objections, leading to the documents being officially marked into evidence.
In a subsequent discussion, the defense raised a legal challenge asserting that the “order to proceed” only cited foreign offenses without specifying corresponding local offenses under Guyanese law. Forde contended that defendants should know the local charges associated with foreign allegations before the end of the committal hearing.
Prosecutors outlined corresponding local offenses, including conspiracy to commit misdemeanour and felony offenses under the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, computer-related fraud, and money laundering offenses among others. They maintained that it is not required for these offenses to be detailed in the order to proceed at this stage.
With the extradition documents now accepted into the court record and the first witness having testified, the proceedings are set to continue on Thursday, January 8, as the committal hearing progresses.
