The United States government is “100% committed” to pursuing the extradition of indicted businessman Nazar Mohamed and his son Azruddin, U.S. Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot said on Wednesday. The extradition request was formally signed by the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio late last year.
“… the US government does not spend tens of thousands of US taxpayer dollars to request extradition if we’re not serious,” the Ambassador said on the sidelines of the Guyana Energy Conference at the Marriott hotel in Georgetown.
“We want to see this happen, and we want to see justice served, both for the Guyanese and the US people.”
“I want to make it incredibly clear that the US is 100% committed to seeing this through,” she stated.
The high-profile case has drawn national and international attention and has been adjourned multiple times in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, most recently due to the reported ill health of Nazar Mohamed and procedural issues raised by the defence.
Theriot said the matter is “incredibly important” to the United States and expressed confidence that the judicial process would continue.
She added that Washington respects Guyana’s legal system and is not seeking to influence proceedings.
“I think that we have to be respectful of the Guyanese judicial system… this ball is in your court, as they say,” she said. “We are content to wait and see what happens. I have every faith that things are going to proceed and the right decision will be made.”
Theriot also said the U.S. government is closely monitoring developments. “We are watching from afar. We’re not interfering, but we’re very, very interested in the outcome, and we’re fully committed.”
Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed have been under scrutiny by U.S. authorities for several years. In 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on the pair through the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, accusing them of involvement in public corruption, including alleged bribery linked to government officials. The measures barred U.S. entities from conducting business with them and froze any assets under U.S. jurisdiction.
In 2024, both men were formally indicted in the United States on multiple financial crime charges, including allegations related to money laundering and other illicit financial transactions. U.S. authorities subsequently initiated extradition proceedings through Guyana’s courts.
Azruddin Mohamed, now Guyana’s Leader of the Opposition, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. Nazar Mohamed has also denied the allegations.
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