High Court refuses stay in Mohameds case, extradition hearing to commence tomorrow

Acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh has refused an application for stay in the case involving United States-indicted businessmen Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed who late last year sought to block their extradition to face money laundering, tax evasion, wire fraud and other charges before a Miami court.

The Fixed Date Application (FDA), is challenging the constitutionality of the Fugitive Offenders (Amendment) Act.

Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, and Magistrate Judy Latchman were named as respondents in the proceedings.

Now with the stay denied, the extradition hearing is set to commence tomorrow before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court while the High Court will reconvene on January 14, 2026, to hear the substantive application, which involves questions of constitutional significance.

The Mohameds through their lawyers  had argued that the provisions of the Fugitive Offenders (Amendment) Act, particularly the Authority to Proceed (ATP), which launched the extradition proceedings against the father and son duo, are unconstitutional, void and a nullity in law.

Consequently, the businessmen sought to stop the authority to proceed by writ of certiorari as well as declarations from the court that Ministers Walrond and Nandlall can have no role in the issuance of the authority to proceed. The Mohameds are also seeking orders of prohibition, barring the two Ministers from having any further role in their extradition, as well as a suspension of the extradition proceedings before Magistrate Latchman pending the outcome of the High Court proceedings.

This FDA was filed just days after Magistrate Latchman dismissed a constitutional application filed by the Mohameds to have their extradition case referred to the High Court.

Latchman had ruled that the arguments presented by the Mohameds’ attorneys had already been settled by Guyana’s higher courts and did not warrant further consideration at the magistracy level. She described the defence’s application as both “frivolous and vexatious” and characterised it as “an abuse of the process” in her December 10 decision.

With the application denied, Magistrate Latchman confirmed that the extradition matter must proceed and set the hearing for commencement on January 6.

Their extradition 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 request was formally submitted by the US Government on October 30, 2025.