Guyana has been thrown into political turmoil following the arrest and possible use by the United States of the country’s main opposition leader to President Irfaan Ali in power.
Azundin Mohamed, 38, and his father Nazamed, 73, two of Guyana’s richest figures thanks to their Gold Mining Empire, seized On 31 October in the capital, Georgetown, in response to a formal extradition request from the US government.
before 11 Charges In a Florida court – including money laundering, bribery and tax evasion – they were released the previous day and will face a new hearing on Monday.
Mohamed admitted that they were victims of political persecution by Ali’s government: told local media.
MUHAHIR Anil Nandlall, General Authority of Guyana, As The case is a “legal obligation” arising from the country’s international commitments – a 1931 non-proliferation treaty between the UK and the US remains in force in Guyana, which became independent from Britain in 1966.
The case is especially emblematic of a time in which the relationship between the Caribbean country and the US has gained new importance in the energy that Guyana can do in Guyana in the World.
“This is a situation where the status quo in Guyana is being challenged,” said Peter Wickham, a political scientist and director of a Caribbean polling company.
Mohamed founded a party and announced his candidacy before the Presidential election, which was supported by the PPP / C APNOCT supported by Apnu-Guyese voters.
Mohamed urged the Guyanese to reject “Tribal Boting” And, running on a population, anti-establishment
“He was hoping to be some sort of balance of power for whoever won the election, but the result ended up being better than he expected,” Wickham said.
Incumbent Ali won, and his Party secured 36 of the 65 Congress seats. But unlike the previous election, it was not the APNU that emerged as the main opposition force – it only won 12 seats – but Mohamed’s party, which had 16.
On Monday, three days after Mohamed was arrested and released on bail, he was sworn in next to the new Congress. she COME Lamborghini is at the center of an alleged mail fraud case against him, in which he is accused of submitting a false $75,300 invoice for a car valued at $680,000.
Although the US request was released in October, the investigation of Mohamed and his father began earlier, and the account is said to cover crimes committed between 2017 and 2024.
In June 2024, a shipment containing about $5.3m in gold bars was shipped from Guyana by Mohamed’s enterprise OPERATIVES at Miami International Airport. That month, the Mohameds were indicted by the US Department of Treasury on gold smuggling charges, evading more than $50m in Guyanese taxes.
In a press conference last week, Vice-President Bharat Jagdeo – who led the country between 1999 and 2011 – 2011 – As The extradition request came from Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State.
“You see his signature there? ‘Marco Rubio,'” he said. “It’s not a junior man in Florida … that’s seriousness [of it] … We are part of a covenant. We are part of an international community that believes people should pay for their crimes,” Jagdeo said.
Mohamed and his lawyers declined to comment to the Guardian, but previously denied the allegations.
In addition to describing the case as political persecution, his legal team told local media that some of the offenses listed in Guyana and therefore Mohamed should not be subject to extradition. Lawyers say they want to challenge the case at every level, including the constitutional court and, ultimately, the Caribbean Court of Justice.
Wickham explained that the case is likely to drag on. “As it went on, he [Mohamed] Remains a member of Parliament … and I think he will continue to make life as difficult as he can for the government in his tenure,” he said.