BERT WILKINSON
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Guyanese authorities arrested the South American country's next opposition leader Friday after the United States sought his extradition.
Azruddin Mohamed, one of Guyana's wealthiest citizens, was recently indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida on charges including money laundering, bribery, tax evasion, and mail and wire fraud.
Mohamed is the leader of the We Invest in Statehood party, which won 16 of 65 parliamentary seats in the September 1 general election.
He appeared in court Friday and was later released on $750 bail. He was ordered to return to court in November for a second extradition hearing.
His father Nazar Mohamed, who faces the same charges, was also arrested and released on bail.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall said authorities were acting on a formal request from Washington to extradite him.
One of Mohamed's lawyers, Siand Durjon, said some of the crimes “are not extraditable offenses under the laws of our country or even the extradition treaty” that exists in Guyana.
Last year, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Azruddin Mohamed, his father and his family business for smuggling more than 10,000 kilograms (22,000 pounds) of gold into the United States from Guyana and evading more than $50 million in taxes.
New opposition lawmakers were due to elect Azruddin Mohamed as their leader on Monday when parliament meets for its first session.
The case highlights ongoing corruption in the oil-rich South American country's government.
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This story was translated from English by an AP editor using a generative artificial intelligence tool.
