Cross‑examination of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sharon Roopchand‑Edwards, continued on Wednesday, with the senior official confirming in court that the United States has assured Guyana it will not re‑extradite Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed to any third country without the Government of Guyana’s consent.
The confirmation came during proceedings before Magistrate Judy Latchman, when defence counsel Roysdale Forde, S.C., put diplomatic correspondence exchanged after the October 2025 extradition request to Roopchand‑Edwards. The court was shown Note 458 — the U.S. response to Guyana’s request for assurances — which was tendered into evidence.
Reading from the document, Forde highlighted a passage stating that, although the United States is not treaty‑bound to provide such assurances, it nonetheless confirmed it would not re‑extradite the Mohameds for offences committed prior to their extradition without Guyana’s consent. Roopchand‑Edwards agreed with the account of the note’s content.
The exchange formed part of a broader examination of Note Verbale 1680 of 2025, through which Guyana sought assurances tied to Article Seven of the extradition treaty — the principle of “speciality,” which limits the treatment and prosecution of extradited persons to offences for which they were extradited unless the surrendering state consents otherwise. Roopchand‑Edwards told the court that Note 458 was submitted in direct response to Guyana’s Note 1680.
Under questioning, the Permanent Secretary rejected a defence distinction between “assurances” and “undertakings,” saying that, in her understanding, the terms carried the same practical meaning in this context.
During cross‑examination, Roopchand‑Edwards also addressed internal handling of the extradition documents. She acknowledged that she had not conducted any assessment within the Foreign Affairs Ministry of how treaty provisions were applied by the United States, and said she was unaware of any internal report examining the U.S. application of the treaty to Guyanese citizens. She further confirmed that she did not forward the October extradition documents to a ministry legal officer for treaty or Fugitive Offenders Act compliance checks, but instead transmitted them to the Minister of Home Affairs.
Roopchand‑Edwards told the court she acted on advice from the ministry’s legal department when sending Guyana’s request for assurances and that the note was delivered to the U.S. Embassy both by email and by hand.
Earlier in the day’s proceedings, the court heard about discrepancies in the ministry’s correspondence records, including an admitted erroneous October 29 entry and questions about when staff were notified of the extradition documents’ receipt.
Further cross‑examination of the Permanent Secretary was deferred; the hearing is scheduled to continue on Tuesday, March 24.
