Guyanese mining businessmen could be extradited to US, attorney general says

By Kemol King and Marianna Parraga

GEORGETOWN, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Guyanese businessmen Azruddin Mohamed and Nazar Mohamed would be extradited to the United States to face charges of fraud and money laundering related to gold exports, once U.S. authorities formally make the request, Guyana's Attorney General said.

The businessmen, who own the gold-exporting firm Mohamed's Enterprise, were indicted in a Florida court last week on charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering to enrich themselves and defraud the government of Guyana.

Azruddin Mohamed, a politician whose party was founded three months before Guyana's general election in September, told local media this week he was assembling a legal team to challenge the U.S. charges.

He and his father are accused of entering into agreements on behalf of Mohamed's Enterprise to sell and transport thousands of kilograms per year of Guyanese gold to buyers in Miami and Dubai by fraudulently reusing Guyana customs declarations and seals, the court for the Southern District of Florida said.

They also are accused of paying bribes to Guyanese officials so that customs officials would accept the gold shipments with duplicate paperwork, in one of a total of 11 charges.

Azruddin Mohamed this week accused Guyana's ruling People's Progressive Party of persecuting him due to his foray into politics. "Fearing the momentum seen at the last election and the cry of the Guyanese people for change, they are doing everything possible to stop me," he said in a statement.

The U.S. Treasury had imposed sanctions last year on the businessmen over the same fraud allegations.

"The next step is for the government of the United States of America to request the government of Guyana the extradition of the two persons," Attorney General Anil Nandlall said late on Tuesday in a show he regularly broadcasts on social media.

"This process, which will be embarked upon, is a legal one and is contained in an extradition framework between the government of the U.S. and the government of Guyana," he said.

Azruddin Mohamed's political party won 16 parliamentary seats in Guyana's general election last month, positioning him to be sworn in as opposition leader by November.