By Alethea Grant | HGP Nightly News |
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — High Court Judge Christel Lambert on Thursday, October 29, 2026, ordered the immediate release from police custody of Nikita Greene, the mother of the police constable accused of accepting an $800,000 cash bribe from Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed in exchange for unauthorized CCTV footage of the October armed confrontation outside the Kitty home of Senior Superintendent Prem Narine.
Handing down her ruling in the Demerara High Court, Justice Lambert held that the state failed to establish an evidential and legal basis to continue detaining Nikita Greene on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a felony.
The decision followed an emergency habeas corpus application filed against the State by attorney-at-law Dexter Todd / Darren Wade on behalf of the constable’s father, Randy Greene, challenging the arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention of the family members by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters.
While granting freedom to the mother, Justice Lambert dismissed the challenge regarding the continued detention of her son, Constable Ryan Greene, ruling that the junior rank’s arrest was neither arbitrary nor unlawful given the objective evidence of unauthorized electronic data breaches at the Guyana Police Force Command Centre.
The Ruling on Nikita Greene: Receiving Money from Kin Is Not a Crime
In evaluating the state’s justification for arresting and holding Nikita Greene, the High Court scrutinized arguments advanced by the state, represented by Attorney General Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC:
- Absence of Scienter (Guilty Knowledge): The Court noted that while the state established that Nikita Greene received $300,000 (GYD) from her son—which was subsequently retrieved by and handed over to investigating ranks—the state failed to provide any evidential nexus proving she knew or had reason to believe the funds represented the proceeds of an unlawful bribe.
- No Criminality in Familial Support: Justice Lambert declared that merely receiving money from a biological child or family member does not, in law, substantiate criminal conduct or establish a conspiracy to commit a felony.
- Immediate Discharge: Finding her detention without lawful justification, the Court ordered her immediate and unconditional release from police holding cells.
“Merely receiving money from a family member does not warrant criminal conduct.” — High Court Ruling
Constable Ryan Greene: Lawful Justification for Detention Upheld
Conversely, Justice Lambert ruled against the immediate discharge of Constable Ryan Greene, holding that detectives possessed a verifiable, objective foundation to execute his arrest:
- Objective Evidential Threshold: The Court ruled that the constable’s arrest was neither arbitrary nor politically motivated, observing that classified electronic surveillance files from the police-controlled Command Centre server banks had been publicly screened by the Opposition Leader.
- Unauthorized Extraction: The Police Force established that high-resolution data had been accessed, copied to an external flash drive, and disseminated without statutory clearance, providing investigators with reasonable suspicion that criminal offenses—including corrupt transactions, larceny of data, and breaches of public trust—had occurred.
- Investigation Permitted to Proceed: The Judge ruled that law enforcement ranks had acted within their statutory powers under the Police Act and Criminal Law (Procedure) Act to detain the rank while finalizing their case docket for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Defense Counsel Darren Wade Reacts: ‘Inappropriate Detention’
Speaking to media operatives on the High Court corridors following the determination, defense attorney Darren Wade welcomed the discharge of Nikita Greene while addressing the court’s stance on the constable:
- Critique of State Overreach: Wade questioned why police authorities felt compelled to detain a mother simply because her son handed her household cash, describing the arrest as an overreach designed to exert emotional pressure on the junior rank.
- Legal Defense for Constable Greene: Wade noted that while the court found sufficient basis for the initial arrest based on the public disclosure of the CCTV footage, the defense team will scrutinize the formal charges brought against the constable to ensure his constitutional rights remain protected.
The ruling marks the latest legal chapter in the fallout from the October 12–13 shooting incident, as CID investigators prepare formal charges against Constable Ryan Greene for corruptly obtaining an agent fee and unauthorized extraction of state intelligence records.
