Guyana Court of Appeal reserves ruling on Mohamed extradition challenge

The Court of Appeal has reserved its ruling on a constitutional challenge brought by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, regarding their extradition proceedings.

Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire, stated that the court must review more than 2,000 pages of legal submissions and authorities before delivering a decision. The appeal focuses on whether the Fugitive Offenders (Amendment) Act and guarantees provided by the United States sufficiently protect the Mohameds from being transferred to a third country following extradition.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall defended the legality of the process, arguing that the 1931 extradition treaty between Guyana and the United States already contains safeguards against onward extradition without Guyana’s consent. Nandlall added that the U.S. government provided written diplomatic assurances to prevent re-extradition to a third state. Conversely, defense attorney Roysdale Forde argued that the treaty does not explicitly prohibit such transfers and questioned the validity of assurances obtained after the clients' arrests.