By Mark DaCosta — On 16 October, Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts granted Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and his two co-accused, Mario Mohamed and Eugene Thorne, bail of $750,000 each. The decision ended several days of detention that began late on Monday, as all three men face charges of possessing a firearm and ammunition without licences and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The charges were instituted on Thursday after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) advised police to proceed on three counts. Notably, although police initially referred to an allegation involving the unlawful discharge of a weapon, the DPP did not recommend that charge. The omission has drawn attention amid questions about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to the police account, Senior Superintendent Prem Narine, head of the Guyana Police Force’s intelligence wing, was at home near midnight on October 12 when he noticed a black Toyota Allion travelling slowly along Barr Street, Kitty, before returning along the same route. He reported hearing a sound resembling a gunshot during the vehicle’s second pass, prompting him to take cover and fire several rounds at the car.
Police subsequently intercepted the vehicle at a nearby junction. Officers reportedly found an unmarked .32 pistol and three live rounds inside, while a .32 casing and four 9mm casings were recovered from the roadway. The items have been submitted for ballistic testing.
Mohamed, through his lawyer, Siand Dhurjon, denies the allegations. He maintains that he and his employees were observing the number of police officers stationed outside Narine’s residence, which he considers a misuse of public resources. He also insists that no one in the vehicle fired a weapon and alleges that the pistol was planted.
The case now turns on the evidence available to investigators and the court, including the results of the pending ballistic tests. The circumstances surrounding the reported shooting, the recovery of the firearm and ammunition, and the conflicting accounts of the incident will require careful examination.
The matter also unfolds against the backdrop of separate extradition proceedings involving Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed. While the grant of bail permits the three accused men to leave custody, it does not determine the merits of the criminal charges.
The presumption of innocence remains paramount. A credible judicial process will depend on the objective assessment of evidence, transparency and the assurance that the proceedings are free from political interference or intimidation.
