GEORGETOWN, Guyana — The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has confirmed that all local tax-evasion charges against businessmen Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed have been withdrawn to clear the way for their extradition to the United States.
In an official statement issued Thursday, the GRA said the charges filed on October 24, 2025, were “withdrawn and wholly discontinued” earlier in the day. The agency explained that the decision followed receipt of a formal request from Washington for the extradition of the two men.
“These charges were filed before the receipt of a request from the Government of the United States to the Government of Guyana for the extradition of Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed,” the release stated. “In light of this extradition request and the Government of Guyana’s decision to proceed with it, and taking into account all relevant legal principles including international comity, appropriateness, and fairness, these charges were withdrawn and discontinued.”
The Attorney General’s Chambers has also confirmed that a formal extradition request has been transmitted through diplomatic channels, in keeping with the Extradition Treaty between Guyana and the United States. Under Article IV of that treaty, an individual cannot be prosecuted or punished twice for the same offence in both jurisdictions.
Legal analysts say the GRA’s decision was a necessary step to ensure the extradition proceedings move forward without procedural conflicts. “You cannot have simultaneous local charges that overlap with the offences being pursued by the requesting state,” one attorney explained. “Withdrawing them clears the jurisdictional path and upholds the treaty’s principles.”
The Mohameds were arrested late last month following the U.S. request. They are accused by American authorities of large-scale money laundering, gold smuggling, and related financial crimes allegedly involving transactions through U.S. financial systems.
With the local charges now discontinued, extradition hearings are expected to proceed before a magistrate, after which the Minister of Home Affairs will decide whether to issue a warrant for surrender in keeping with Guyana’s treaty obligations.