HGP NIGHTLY NEWS – The United States has provided Guyana with a written assurance that Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, will not be extradited from the US to a third country, Attorney General Anil Nandlall has told the Court of Appeal.

The assurance, contained in a diplomatic note, has emerged as a central part of the State’s response to the Mohameds’ constitutional challenge to Guyana’s extradition framework.

Nandlall told the appellate court on Tuesday that protections against onward extradition already exist under Guyana’s extradition treaty with the United States.

However, he said the Government went a step further and obtained written confirmation from US authorities that the Mohameds would not be re-extradited to another state.

According to the Attorney General, the combination of the treaty protections and diplomatic assurance effectively addresses the concern at the centre of the Mohameds’ case.

Nandlall described their fear of onward extradition as “not real” and “not founded in reality,” arguing that the challenge has consequently become “highly academic.”

The Attorney General also maintained that the Mohameds have not clearly identified which constitutional right is infringed by the extradition framework.

Their attorney, Roysdale Forde, has relied on several constitutional provisions in advancing the challenge, but Nandlall argued that the connection between those provisions and the alleged infringement had not been established.

The Court of Appeal has reserved its ruling.

Acting Chancellor Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire said the court must consider more than 2,000 pages of submissions and legal authorities before handing down its decision.