Guayana arrested on Friday the incoming opposition leader on request for extradition by the United States, following an indictment by a Florida court on money-laundering, tax evasion, and gold smuggling.

In a statement, the Guyana Attorney-General’s Chambers noted that Azruddin Mohamed allegedly evaded export taxes and royalties on “10,000 kilograms of gold” and attempted the shipment of gold into the US without declaring it.

The statement cited provisions of Section 4(1)(a) of the Fugitives Offender Act, an extradition treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States, as the legal basis for the extradition. According to the provision, any extradition treaty under the pre-independence UK-ruled Guyana remains in force as long as it is not replaced or revoked.

Furthermore, Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, who co-owned “Mohamed’s Enterprise,” are accused of underreporting and evading more than $50 million in taxes, and bribing customs officials into falsifying documents.

Mohamed, who was expected to become the next leader of Guayana’s opposition in the upcoming days, has claimed that he is being targeted for his opposition to the ruling party and that the current president, Irfaan Ali, allowed the clearing of several of his business dealings.

In February several US federal agencies, including the Departments of Treasury and Homeland Security, announced sanctions against Nazar and Azruddin for engaging in “large-scale corruption.” The agencies utilized Executive Order 13818, which authorizes the US government to target foreign persons involved in large-scale corruption or human rights abuses, and allows the seizure of their property in the US.