Guyana Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed arrested in police video probe
Key Points(5)
- Guyana’s Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed was arrested Wednesday afternoon at his residence in Eccles, East Bank Demerara, as police investigate his possession of government surveillance footage relating to two alleged shooting incidents earlier this month.
- Deputy Commissioner Wendell Blanhum, head of the Criminal Investigations Department of the Guyana Police Force, confirmed Mohamed’s arrest.
- Other sources said the arrest of the businessman-turned-politician, who leads the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, was linked to an investigation into an alleged corrupt transaction involving a 20-year-old police officer.
- The officer and his mother also remained in police custody Wednesday, prompting the officer’s father to apply to the High Court for an order requiring authorities to produce them before the court or release them, with or without conditions.
- The Guyana Police Force alleged that the officer confessed to downloading the surveillance footage onto a flash drive and handing it to Mohamed in exchange for GY$800,000.
Guyana’s Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed was arrested Wednesday afternoon at his residence in Eccles, East Bank Demerara, as police investigate his possession of government surveillance footage relating to two alleged shooting incidents earlier this month.
Deputy Commissioner Wendell Blanhum, head of the Criminal Investigations Department of the Guyana Police Force, confirmed Mohamed’s arrest.
Other sources said the arrest of the businessman-turned-politician, who leads the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, was linked to an investigation into an alleged corrupt transaction involving a 20-year-old police officer.
The officer and his mother also remained in police custody Wednesday, prompting the officer’s father to apply to the High Court for an order requiring authorities to produce them before the court or release them, with or without conditions.
The Guyana Police Force alleged that the officer confessed to downloading the surveillance footage onto a flash drive and handing it to Mohamed in exchange for GY$800,000.
Mohamed, his driver and a videographer are already on GY$750,000 bail each on joint charges of illegal possession of a firearm, illegal possession of ammunition and attempting to pervert the course of justice. The charges relate to the alleged discharge of a firearm near the residence of Senior Superintendent Prem Narine, head of the police force’s Special Branch.
Narine is a key witness in extradition proceedings involving Mohamed, who is wanted by the United States to face allegations of money laundering, wire fraud and mail fraud linked to his gold trading business.
Mohamed’s father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, is also wanted by US authorities on the same allegations.
The opposition leader released the surveillance footage at a news conference Monday to challenge Narine’s account of an alleged shooting incident on October 12.
Mohamed alleged that Narine fired several shots at the vehicle in which he and his employees were travelling in what he described as an assassination attempt late that night.
Narine had claimed that a gun was fired from the vehicle in which Mohamed was travelling and where he was seated.
None of the occupants was struck by the alleged gunfire, although the vehicle was damaged.
Mohamed and his lawyer, Siand Dhurjon, were at the Kitty Police Station on October 12 during a search of the vehicle. They claimed that a handgun mysteriously appeared beneath the accelerator pedal.
The investigation into the surveillance footage and the alleged transaction involving the police officer is continuing.
