Georgetown, Guyana – Authorities in Guyana Philippine authorities arrested the South American country’s next opposition leader on Friday following an extradition request from the US government.
Ezzedine Mohammed, one of Guyana’s richest citizens, He was recently charged by a federal grand jury in Florida on charges including money laundering, bribery, tax evasion, and wire and mail fraud.
Mohamed is the leader of the We Invest in the Nation party, which won 16 out of 65 parliamentary seats in the general elections held on September 1.
He appeared in court on Friday and was later released on $750 bail and ordered to return to court in early November for a second extradition hearing.
His father, Nizar Muhammad, who faces the same charges, was also arrested and released on bail.
Prosecutor Anil Nandal said the authorities were acting on an official request from the United States for their extradition.
One of the Mohamed family’s lawyers, Siand Dorgon, said some crimes “are not considered extraditable offenses under the laws of our land or even the extradition treaty” that Guyana has concluded.
last year, The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Ezzedine MohamedHis father and his family business allegedly smuggled more than 22,000 pounds (10,000 kilograms) of gold into the United States from Guyana, and evaded more than $50 million in taxes.
The new opposition representatives are expected to elect Ezz El-Din Mohamed as their leader on Monday when Parliament holds its first session.
This case highlighted ongoing government corruption In the oil-rich South American country.
____
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean on https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america