Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall has described the legal challenge filed by Azruddin and Nazar Mohamed as an attempt to use politics as a shield against a legitimate extradition process.

Following a High Court ruling that dismissed Mohameds’ claims of government bias, the Attorney General argued that the timeline of the case proves the allegations were strategically invented. He noted that the extradition process and international sanctions were initiated long before the Mohameds chose to enter the political arena.

Speaking during a live broadcast on the National Communications Network (NCN), the AG emphasised that the law does not allow individuals to evade justice by simply becoming political figures. He remarked that to erect a defense of politicisation and political bias is simply manufactured and that is not the law.

“If that is a defense, then every person who is the subject of an extradition request can then enter politics, if he knows it is coming, or enter politics after, and use that as a basis not to be extradited. That cannot be the law of Guyana, and that is not the law of Guyana, or the law of any other country,” he said.

In his assessment of the ruling, the Attorney General explained that the executive branch has clear constitutional and treaty obligations to fulfill. He stated that the question of bias does not arise in relation to the executive because the Minister of Home Affairs is not performing a judicial function when issuing an authority to proceed. Instead, the Attorney General described the Minister’s role as the discharge of a statutory diktat mandated by the Fugitive Offenders Act.

The Attorney General further clarified that legal principles regarding bias are reserved for the actual judicial bodies involved in the process. He explained that the question of bias if an allegation of bias can be made can only be directed to the judicial tribunals such as the Magistrate Court or the High Court. He maintained that the government has acted strictly within its legal mandate to ensure Guyana remains a reliable international partner in addressing crime.

Costs were awarded to the state following the dismissal, which the Attorney General described as the end of this specific attempt to stall the extradition. He reiterated that the government remains committed to upholding the rule of law and honoring its international commitments.

“In short, this case filed by the Mohameds have been dismissed, and each party has been awarded $500,000 in cost. That is to say, the Attorney General, $500,000, the Minister of Home Affairs, $500,000, and the learned magistrate, Judy Latchman, $500,000 in costs each,” he explained.

While this matter has been concluded, a second legal issue remains pending at the High Court, involving a challenge to the constitutionality of the 2009 amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Act.

The Chief Justice has scheduled the ruling for those proceedings on February 16. Meanwhile, the extradition proceedings at the Georgetown Magistrate Court are expected to continue this week.