‘Justice Must Not Be Rushed, or It Will Be Crushed’: High Court Delays Bail Ruling for Azruddin Mohamed to November 12 Following State Objections to Defense Affidavit

By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News |

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — Leader of the Opposition Azruddin Mohamed will remain behind bars at the Lusignan Prison for at least another week after the Demerara High Court adjourned his urgent bail application to Thursday, November 12, 2026.

The postponement follows an intense procedural battle on Wednesday before presiding High Court Judge Justice Priscilla Chandra-Hanif, during which Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, moved to strike out substantial portions of the defense’s supporting affidavit.

The proceedings stem from Mohamed’s ongoing detention after Sparendaam Magistrate Abigail Gibbs remanded him to prison on October 30, alongside Police Constable Ryan Greene, on charges under the Cybercrime Act 2018 regarding the alleged unauthorized obtaining and dissemination of surveillance recordings from the Police Command Centre.

The State’s Challenge: 33 Paragraphs Challenged as Hearsay and ‘Scandalous’

Appearing in person on behalf of the State, Attorney General Anil Nandlall presented oral applications seeking to strike out approximately 33 paragraphs of the supporting affidavit sworn by Mohamed’s mother, Bonita Mohamed:

• Inadmissible Material: Nandlall argued that the document contains extensive hearsay, speculative assertions, and scandalous matter that falls outside the personal knowledge of the deponent and should never have been entered into court records.
• Call for Withdrawal: Contending that the State requires adequate time to prepare a formal, comprehensive affidavit in answer to the extensive claims, Nandlall urged the defense to withdraw the defective application rather than attempt to bypass standard evidentiary thresholds.
• Rejection of Undue Haste: The Attorney General insisted that statutory bail hearings cannot override basic rules of court procedure, warning against rushing the judicial process:

“Justice must not be rushed, or it will be crushed.” — Anil Nandlall, SC, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs

Defense Response: Roysdale Forde, SC, Defends Application

Resisting the Attorney General’s motion to dismiss or strike out the pleadings, lead defense counsel Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde—appearing alongside attorney Siand Dhurjon—maintained that the application was carefully prepared, legally grounded, and filed in strict compliance with the Bail Act:

• Direct Affidavit Filed: To counter the State’s objections regarding Bonita Mohamed’s personal knowledge, Forde notified the court of the defense’s intention to file a supplementary affidavit sworn directly by Azruddin Mohamed from prison, reinforcing and adopting the factual assertions outlined in his mother’s original filing.
• Prison Access Secured: Following submissions by Dhurjon regarding previous restrictions on consulting their client, Justice Chandra-Hanif ordered that defense counsel be granted immediate access to Mohamed at Lusignan Prison to execute his personal affidavit, directing that the document be formally filed by 6:00 PM on Wednesday, November 4.
• Oppressive Detention Concerns: During the hearing, Forde also renewed complaints concerning Mohamed’s custody conditions, submitting that he is being confined for 23 hours and 50 minutes daily in oppressive, poorly ventilated quarters amounting to solitary confinement. While Nandlall disputed the severity of the characterization, Justice Chandra-Hanif stated she expected correctional authorities to ensure his detention conditions remain non-oppressive.

Next Court Steps: State Submissions Due Ahead of November 12

With the filing of Mohamed’s personal affidavit completed on Wednesday evening, Justice Chandra-Hanif established a strict timeline for all subsequent submissions:

• State Objections (November 6): The Attorney General has been given until Friday, November 6, to file formal objections and submissions on the application to strike out the contested paragraphs.
• Defense Reply (November 8): The defense team is required to file any response or rebuttal arguments by Sunday, November 8.
• Court Resumption (November 12): The substantive hearing will resume before Justice Chandra-Hanif on Thursday, November 12, at 10:00 AM, where the court will first determine which sections of the affidavits remain admissible before ruling on the substantive application for bail.