GUYANA-Magistrate modifies bail conditions for Mohameds.

0
18
Opposition Leader, Azruddin Mohamed (with shades) and his businessman father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman, Monday, reprimanded and modified the orders governing the weekly bail reporting conditions of Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and his businessman father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, after the prosecution raised concerns.

The Mohameds are challenging their extradition to the United States, where they are wanted on several fraud-related charges. On Monday, the prosecutor for the United States, Glen Hanoman, said that the two men repeatedly breached a key condition of their bail by failing to report to the Ruimveldt Police Station within the stipulated timeframe.

Station Sergeant Tobin, who appeared before the court, said that the men “on some occasions” breached the conditions when he was asked whether they had been reporting every Friday between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm (local time) as initially ordered.

Hanoman said the issue appeared to involve early or late reporting rather than complete failure to report, telling the court that, based on the records, Azruddin Mohamed would have been absent on four occasions if December 26 were included, but three times if that date were excluded.

Hanoman further argued that there was one specific instance of absence for Nazar Mohamed, who failed to report on February 13, 2026. He said the businessman reported the following day, on February 14.

But Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde urged the court to reject Hanoman’s request entirely, saying “there was substantial compliance and no flagrant or contemptuous disregard for the order”.

The magistrate, in examining the police records, found instances of reporting earlier and later than the stipulated time frame, and, after hearing arguments from both sides, varied the reporting order for the Mohameds to now report at any time during Friday, except when they are in court.

In addition, they must sign the date and time in the police book on each occasion, and if they are absent due to illness, they must provide a medical certificate that must be lodged in the police property book.

If Friday is a holiday, the court ordered them to report on Thursday.

The magistrate then said she was satisfied that the Mohameds understood the new arrangements after they repeated the instructions.

She warned that the bail of GUY$150,000 (One Guyana dollar = 0.008 cents) would be forfeited if the Mohameds violated the reporting procedures.

“They will find themselves locked up on the next occasion, and the bail will be forfeited,” she said.

The Mohameds were indicted in the United States in October 2025 on charges including wire/mail fraud, money laundering, and bribery linked to a US$50 million gold smuggling and tax evasion scheme. They were arrested in Guyana in October 2025 following a US extradition request, which remains ongoing.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here