GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Principal Magistrate, Judy Latchman, Tuesday adjourned to April 7, the extradition case involving Opposition Leader, Azruddin Mohamed, who was unable to attend court proceedings because he has been diagnosed with dengue fever.
Dr. Kawal Dalip, sitting outside magistrate’s court on Tuesday.The magistrate accepted the medical report of Dr. Kawal Dalip, who had been summoned to appear before her, confirming that he diagnosed Mohamed with dengue and had issued 12 days’ sick leave.
The Opposition Leader and his businessman father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, are challenging their extradition to the United States where they are wanted on several fraud related charges. They were indicted in the United States in October 2025 on charges including wire/mail fraud, money laundering, and bribery linked to a US$50 million gold smuggling and tax evasion scheme. They were arrested in Guyana in October 2025 following a US extradition request.
Attorney at law, Glen Hanoman, who is among a team representing the US, had raised “red flags” during Tuesday’s sitting noting that he had been advised that sick leave for dengue was usually three to five days and questioned why Mohamed needed 12 days.
But Dr Dalip said usually 14 days rest is required and that he check Mohamed’s condition in another 10 days.
Hanoman had also failed to convince Magistrate Latchman to order a second dengue blood test on Mohamed seeking also whether he could have attended the court sessions by zoom.
In response to several questions by the prosecution, the magistrate then asked Dr Dalip to say why Mohamed would be unable to attend court by zoom. In response, the doctor said doxycycline would cause drowsiness and that the patient was also being treated with paradox and cough syrup.
Hanoman also raised concerns that Mohamed was diagnosed with dengue at 11:30 am (local time) while the laboratory report states 11:50 am. But in response, Dr. Dalip said he had diagnosed Mohamed clinically before the lab test.
The experienced criminal lawyer also raised concerns that the blood test was done at Dr Dalip’s laboratory and that the methodology used was not the “gold standard”. He sought to make out a case for a second test to be done at another laboratory using the gold standard of PCR, but defence lawyer Roysdale Forde ruled that out completely.
“He will not do that,” Forde told the court, adding that Dr Dalip’s lab was certified by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards.
he Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will on Wednesday conduct a case management after the Mohameds filed an appeal with the country’s highest and final court, challenging a decision by the Guyana Court of Appeal that the Home Affairs Minister, Oneidge Walrond, was merely performing an administrative function in issuing to a Magistrate Court, the Authority To Proceed (ATP) to begin their extradition process.
