Mohameds’ extradition case postponed again as defence lawyers cite client’s health issue

The United States extradition proceedings involving Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed were postponed again after the court was informed that Nazar continues to deal with health challenges.

When the matter was called on February 9, presiding magistrate Judy Latchman adjourned the matter to February 16 after being informed that Nazar was unwell.

On February 16, the magistrate issued an arrest warrant for Azruddin after he failed to attend court for the 9:00hrs hearing. She subsequently withdrew the warrant following an explanation from the defence. During that session, Nazar did not attend.

The matter was then adjourned again to today.

When the case was called, both the father and son attended but no updated medical report was presented.

The defence explained that Nazar’s cardiologist is currently unavailable, and his recovery remains incomplete. As such, the court agreed to set the next hearing for February 26, allowing time for additional medical documentation to be prepared.

During the session, the prosecution indicated a desire to explore alternative procedures to advance the extradition, including the possibility of paper committal proceedings, in case the defendants cannot appear consistently in court. The defence maintained that such measures are premature and would raise procedural concerns, potentially requiring the case to restart from the beginning.

The magistrate raised questions about whether the proposed approach would allow the defence adequate opportunity to review and challenge the evidence. Legal teams debated whether recent amendments to criminal procedure could apply to this case under the Fugitive Offenders Act, with the court inviting the prosecution to submit written arguments on the matter for the next hearing.

Azruddin, who serves as Leader of the Opposition, and his father, who faces multiple financial crime charges in the United States, are out on $150,000 bail each as the case continues to progress.