{"id":21785,"date":"2026-07-30T07:25:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T02:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=21785"},"modified":"2026-07-30T07:25:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T02:25:28","slug":"a-caribbean-court-rules-that-a-us-extradition-process-against-guyanas-opposition-leader-can-resume","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=21785","title":{"rendered":"A Caribbean court rules that a US extradition process against Guyana&#8217;s opposition leader can resume"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \"><span class=\"oyrPY qlwaB AGxeB  \">GEORGETOWN, Guyana &#8212; <\/span>A U.S. extradition process against <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/guyana\">Guyana\u2019s<\/a> main opposition leader and his father wanted on gold smuggling and money laundering charges can resume after they had legally challenged the request, a Caribbean regional court ruled on Wednesday. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The Caribbean Court of Justice ruled against Azruddin Mohamed and his father Nazar Mohamed who were indicted in Florida last year in a case that has underscored persistent government corruption in the <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/guyana-oil-discovery-money-14c23a72c6d7c13675493ede42ed1000\">oil-rich South American nation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Azruddin Mohamed, who leads the second-largest party in Guyana\u2019s Parliament, <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/guyana-azruddin-mohamed-opposition-leader-1489f4feab9dd4a04b7dc9bfda80abf0\">was elected the country\u2019s opposition leader<\/a> in January, just six months after founding the We Invest in Nationhood Party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The two have denied the accusations and fought the extradition proceedings before the Caribbean Court of Justice in Trinidad, which serves as the final court of appeal for several countries in the region.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">It was not immediately clear when the proceedings would resume.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cThis is, of course, a complicated matter,\u201d Justice Winston Anderson said during the hearing, which was livestreamed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Attorneys for the Mohameds did not speak during the hearing and did not return messages seeking comment later. The defense had argued that some of the charges the duo face are not extraditable offenses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Azruddin Mohamed was seen sitting outdoors during the proceedings, smiling occasionally. After the hearing, he posted a video on social media saying that \u201cthe work of the people must continue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cThe fight is still on,\u201d he said. \u201cThe CCJ did not rule in our favor, but we respect the court\u2019s decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Meanwhile, Nazar Mohamed told The Associated Press that while it is too early to react comprehensively, their attorneys would advise on the way forward. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cIt is a 256-page judgement,\u201d he said. \u201cOur lawyers are checking it through. Based on what lawyers say, all is not lost as yet. &#8230; We will be fighting all the way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Azruddin Mohamed is one of Guyana\u2019s wealthiest citizens. He and his father have been out on bond since their <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/guyana-azruddin-mohamed-arrested-us-extradition-8b209b01a817189b4e700a93e6dac5a5\">arrest last year<\/a> following the U.S. extradition request.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The U.S. Treasury Department also has sanctioned the duo for allegedly smuggling more than 10,000 kilograms (22,000 pounds) of <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/guyana-amerindians-miners-gold-land-59b2dc6d2cf52cf5257bd2541bdfa755\">gold to the United States from Guyana<\/a>, and evading more than $50 million in taxes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The Mohameds had been among Guyana\u2019s largest gold buyers and exporters, selling gold to buyers in Miami and Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, according to the U.S. Justice Department. They also ran one of the most successful foreign exchange outlets and possess extensive real estate holdings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">While the U.S. government has targeted the two, it remains on friendly terms with the administration of Guyana&#8217;s President Irfaan Ali as the country experiences an economic boom thanks to <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/guyana-oil-discovery-money-14c23a72c6d7c13675493ede42ed1000\">massive offshore oil deposits<\/a> that Venezuela has long claimed as theirs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">___<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \">Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GEORGETOWN, Guyana &#8212; A U.S. extradition process against Guyana\u2019s main opposition leader and his father wanted on gold smuggling and money laundering charges can resume after they had legally challenged the request, a Caribbean regional court ruled on Wednesday. The Caribbean Court of Justice ruled against Azruddin Mohamed and his father Nazar Mohamed who were&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/97f4bd52-7558-4113-ace5-3a047668db34\/wirestory_ea3b282fc033c37e8ce8a7dbe9cb8563_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21785\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}