Social activist and host of Straight Up With Mark Benschop is calling on Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall to release the full list of persons for whom extradition has been requested.
More than a week ago, Nandlall had indicated that additional extradition requests were expected “as early as [last week].” This comes as businessmen Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nasar Mohamed, appeared in court on October 31, 2025, to answer extradition charges. Both were granted $150,000 bail, required to lodge their passports, and must report to the police every Friday, starting November 7.
Nandlall told the state-owned National Communication Network (NCN) that the current extradition process is part of a long-standing cooperation framework between Guyana and the United States, governed by international treaties and domestic law.
“The Government of Guyana has no control whatsoever over when an extradition request is made. The current request came from the Government of the United States under the hand of the Secretary of State and the Department of Justice. To suggest that we could influence that process is fanciful,” he said.
Legal experts, however, caution that even if another country makes a request, Guyana—though part of the extradition treaty inherited from Britain—remains a sovereign nation, with its own Constitution and laws that supersede any treaty. Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde, part of the Mohameds’ legal team, noted:
“On the Order fraud, there are inherently extra-territorial offences, which means from the point of view of the United States, they are capable of being committed outside the country. Correspondingly, there is no such provision in Guyana, because all the Laws of Guyana in relation to criminality, except where specifically stated, are only capable of being committed in Guyana. So, you can’t have a corresponding offense in Guyana in relation to an offence being committed in the United States.”
Benschop has also criticised the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) for selective disclosure, urging them to make public the names of all individuals facing extradition.
Speaking with Village Voice News, Benschop delivered a stinging indictment of the government’s conduct. “To promise transparency to the nation and then fail to deliver is not merely reckless—it is an affront to the people, a sign that those in power are manipulating the system for their own convenience, and treating Guyanese as if their trust is expendable,” he said. He warned that this is not just a political issue but one of national interest and potential national security, insisting that the public cannot be left in the dark while critical decisions affecting the entire country are concealed.
Benschop concluded that failing to provide full disclosure is “taking the nation for granted, playing too many games, and is completely unacceptable,” urging the government to act immediately and honor its obligations to the people.
