GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana government has signaled its preparedness to extradite the leader of the recently formed We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, Azruddin Mohamed, and his father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, who are wanted in the United States on several fraud-related charges.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, speaking on his weekly “Issues in the News” Facebook program on Tuesday night, stated that Guyana is both ready and willing to facilitate an extradition request for the Mohameds, once requested by the United States authorities.
Guyana is ready, willing, and able to diligently discharge its legal duties and obligations under the current extradition framework with the United States of America in relation to this matter, and we remain committed to that course.
“At this point, we are awaiting the request, and once the request is received, then the requisite legal process will unfold in accordance with the procedure set out in the law,” Nandlall told viewers on his program.
On Monday, it was revealed that the United States authorities had indicted the WIN leader and his father on charges related to wire and mail fraud, as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering, stemming from tax evasion on gold exports and the importation of a Lamborghini luxury car.
Denying the allegations contained in the 11-count indictment, Mohamed said he and his father would fight any extradition request by the United States.
“We are going to fight it here in the court. We are innocent,” he said, adding, “I’m going to defend myself vigorously because I’m innocent. I am innocent of all these charges. I know it’s heavily political with this administration”.
The indictment came just over a month after Mohamed led his newly formed political party to become the main opposition party in the National Assembly.
If found guilty on the charges of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, the Mohameds, who were sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in June last year, could separately face a maximum of 20 years on each count, as well as maximum supervised release of three years, a maximum fine of US$250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss.
On the charges of wire fraud, the politician-businessman could also be sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment and a maximum supervised release of three years, and a fine of US$250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss.
The Grand Jury is also seeking a maximum of 20 years imprisonment, three years supervised release, and a fine of US$500,000 or the value of the property involved in the transaction for conspiracy to commit money laundering.
“I have noted the allegations peddled against me and my family. While there are legal constraints on how much I can share at this juncture, I am permitted to say this much in the interim; the leadership of the (ruling) PPP (People’s Progressive Party) has been advancing a sustained narrative against the Mohameds aimed at discrediting us,” Mohamed said in a statement posted on his Facebook page.
However, Nandlall stated that Guyana’s extradition treaty with the United States dates back more than 100 years and has been repeatedly utilized by both countries, thereby dismissing the allegation of political motivation.
“It is nonsensical for anyone to contend that these processes or this process is being motivated by some political agenda, is inspired by some political incentive, or is in any manner whatsoever tainted by politics or some other irrelevant consideration”.
Nandlall said that a review of the US indictment against Mohamed would show that their alleged crimes covered two different Guyana Governments and two different US governments as well.
“You would quickly realize that they (indictment) spans a period that goes back to 2017, and what that means is that this process commenced long before the PPP government got into office. In fact, it spans two governments of Guyana and two governments of the United States…
“The charges as set out in the indictment are between 2017 and 2024, and for most of that period, by their own pronouncements, the Mohameds were close to the PPP. How is it now that the PPP has some narrative, and the PPP is somehow involved in some process that can be described as political persecution?
“One has to be delusional to entertain that type of thinking that the conceive that the PPP can influence the mighty Department of Justice of the United States of America and their accompanying law enforcement agencies of the US to carry out political agendas of the PPP, to think that the PPP can persuade those mighty organisations to carry out its political agenda, that must be the product of a special mind,” the Attorney General said.
He described Mohamed’s “political persecution” claim as outrageous, saying “once that (US) request is made, a process which is outlined both in the Fugitive Offenders Act is triggered, and a series of legal steps have to be followed, all of which are outlined in the legislation.
“Guyana has made it very clear that it is ready, willing, and most able to diligently discharge its legal duties and obligations under the current extradition framework that exists with the USA in relation to this matter, and we remain committed to that course.”
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