Attorney General, Mohameds’ lawyers haggle over payment of court costs

Last Updated on Wednesday, 18 March 2026, 21:07 by Writer

Attorney General Anil Nandlall and lawyers for United States-sanctioned father-son billionaire gold exporters Azruddin and Nazar Mohamed, who are also wanted for trial in the United States for alleged financial crimes, were on Thursday engaged in a public spat over payment of hefty High Court costs.

Since the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the businessmen in June 2024 for allegedly smuggling more than 10,000 kilogrammes of gold and relatedly evading more than US$50 million in taxes payable to the Guyana government, their bank accounts have been closed.

The public quarrel erupted in the public domain on Thursday when one of the Mohameds lawyers, Siand Dhurjon wrote the Attorney General in apparent response to the latter’s letter of demand dated March 11, 2026 to Mr Roysdale Forde, another of the Mohameds’ lawyers, demanding the payment of GY$500,000 in court costs awarded by Chief Justice Navindra Singh on February 4 , 2026 in a case of Nazar Mohamed et al vs the Minister of Home Affairs et al.

Mr Nandlall told Mr Forde that the deadline of February 27, 2026 had passed without payment, and he warned that if the money was not paid immediately, he would return to court to compel payment.

“We hereby request payment of the costs ordered forthwith. We make this request on our own behalf and on behalf of the First Named Respondent, the Minister of Home Affairs, being duly authorised to do so. In the event that there are further and continuing breaches of the said Order, we will take the necessary steps to enforce the same,” Mr Nandlall said.

Mr Dhurjon told the Attorney General that the money could not be paid by manager’s cheque, in apparent reference to the Mohameds now having no bank account.

The lawyer said the Mohameds would be willing to pay the money in cash if Mr Nandlall could make arrangements.

“Whilst my clients are not opposed to giving you $1,000,000, it was communicated to them prior that such payment could only be effected by manager’s cheque. As you are aware, this poses a difficulty for my clients at this time. Please confirm that you or your office would be willing to accept the OFAC-sanctioned money in cash and arrangements can be made to effect payment,” he said.

“My clients, Mssrs. (sic) Azruddin and Nazar Mohamed, are delighted that the government is eager to do business with them and to accept their generous endowments once again. Please note that such funds may or may not have their source in activities related to the sale of gold in Dubai and/or money saved through the manner of importation of various luxury and sports cars,” Mr Dhurjon added.

Team Mohamed’s Facebook page, closely linked to Mr Azruddin Mohamed, reacted to the Attorney General’s letter.

The post which reads “All of a sudden Anil Nandlall requesting $500K from the Mohameds, I thought he and his masters painted it all over you cannot receive money from sanction man. Now he wants the sanction money” drew the ire of the Attorney General.

“Since it is apparently unclear to the scribe of the post below, someone sensible should explain that the request for payment enjoys the authority of an Order of the High Court. The law is that those to whom a Court Order applies have an uncompromising duty to obey it, but then again, some believe that the law does not apply to them, in which case, they are free to disregard the Court Order and face the consequences. Let us now see how the fake profiles will “cuss down”,” Mr Nandlall said.

The Mohameds have in recent weeks lost a number of cases in the High Court and the Guyana Court of Appeal over whether home affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond was “infected” by political bias when she last October issued Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman with the Authority To Proceed (ATP) to issue arrest warrants for the Mohameds on account of a US extradition request and conduct extradition committal proceedings.

The wanted men had argued that they were the victims of political persecution especially since the younger Mohamed had indicated his intention last year to vie for political office against the incumbent People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC).