US court seals new filings in case against Nazar, Azruddin Mohamed

A US court handling the case against Guyanese businessmen Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed has sealed two additional filings, keeping much of the case record confidential.

The entries, dated November 3, were listed as “restricted/sealed until further notice,” according to federal court documents. Similar sealed entries were made on October 24 and October 3.

US prosecutors Jill Simon of the Department of Justice and Michael N. Berger of the US Attorney’s Office in Miami are representing the government. Simon entered her appearance on October 3.

No further details of the charges or proceedings have been made public.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, during a recent interview, said that more extradition requests are expected this week.

He was quick to point out that the country’s handling of the extradition case involving Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed strictly follows legal and treaty obligations and “has nothing to do with politics.”

The Attorney General emphasised that the government is duty-bound under its treaty obligations and international law to process extradition requests.

On June 11, 2024, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against the Mohameds and their company, Mohamed’s Enterprise.

According to Nandlall, the extradition request came from the United States government and that Guyana has no influence over the process. He added that the Mohameds were aware of the impending extradition.

“They knew that it was supposed to come earlier, but the American government thought that they shouldn’t do it during the election period,” the Attorney General said.

The government has no control over when the request was made or received.

“The request came in from the United States government yesterday, the 31st of October, under the hand of the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, and under the hand of the Department of Justice,” he said.

No opposition leader or Member of Parliament is insulated or immune from legal liability in Guyana.