The scheduled extradition proceedings against Guyanese billionaire gold dealers Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohamed and his son Azruddin Mohamed face potential postponement following their legal team’s announcement to appeal a High Court ruling. The development emerged hours after Chief Justice Navindra Singh declined to stay the magistrate’s hearing set for January 6-8, 2026.
Lead attorney Roysdale Forde confirmed his intention to file an appeal with the Full Court of the High Court, seeking to suspend the extradition process pending resolution of two constitutional challenges. ‘We disagree with the decision respectfully and we will be filing an appeal to the Full Court and we will be seeking a stay of the proceedings at the level of the Full Court,’ Forde told journalists outside the Georgetown courtroom.
The legal battle centers on dual constitutional matters: challenges to several provisions of the Fugitive Offenders Act and allegations of ‘explicit political bias’ in the extradition authorization by Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond against Azruddin Mohamed, who leads the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) political party.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall maintained that the judicial process should proceed as scheduled, emphasizing that existing legal frameworks provide adequate avenues for post-committal challenges. He warned that if Magistrate Judy Latchman rules against the Mohameds, both individuals would be immediately taken into custody despite their current GY$150,000 bail status.
The United States seeks their extradition to face trial in Florida’s federal court on charges including mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering related to their gold trading operations, allegedly resulting in millions lost in tax revenue for Guyana.
Justice Singh, in his ruling, determined that suspending the extradition process would constitute ‘a drastic remedy’ given that constitutional issues could be addressed without halting the proceedings. He noted the absence of demonstrated ‘immediate and irreversible harm’ and emphasized the public interest in honoring international extradition obligations.
The Chief Justice scheduled January 14, 2026, for preliminary hearings on the constitutional challenges, setting the stage for a protracted legal battle that Forde acknowledged ‘will be a long, arduous process’ likely reaching the Caribbean Court of Justice.