HGP Nightly News – Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed says the detention and public pursuit of several people associated with him will not silence his criticism of the Government, alleging that the reopened Ricardo “Paper Shorts” Fagundes murder investigation is being used to intimidate him.
“I will not be intimidated. I will not back down,” Mohamed declared as he accused the police of harassing his associates under the revived investigation into the 2021 execution-style killing.
Mohamed said he supports a credible effort to solve the murder. He claimed, however, that recent detentions and the issuance of a wanted bulletin formed part of a politically directed campaign to embarrass people connected to him and pressure him into silence.
He linked the renewed police activity to questions he raised about a farm associated with President Irfaan Ali.
“I will continue to expose corruption and stand up for the people of Guyana, regardless of what it costs,” Mohamed said.
The Opposition Leader has described the property as a 150-acre farm valued at approximately $5.5 billion. Those figures are disputed. Ali has denied wrongdoing, while Attorney General Anil Nandlall has said the farm covers roughly 60 to 70 acres, predates Ali’s presidency and was financed through bank loans.
Mohamed presented no independently verified evidence showing that the President or the governing PPP/C directed the police investigation.
One of his concerns involves Satrohan Rajkumar, known as “Depot,” for whom police reportedly issued a wanted bulletin.
Mohamed described Rajkumar as a respected mechanic who lives approximately one mile from the nearest police station and operates openly from a well-known workshop. If investigators wanted to interview him, Mohamed argued, they could have visited his home or business.
He claimed that issuing the bulletin caused unnecessary embarrassment and damaged Rajkumar’s reputation and livelihood.
According to Mohamed, Rajkumar surrendered to police on the morning of his statement. Police had not publicly explained why he was wanted or whether he was being treated as a suspect, witness or person of interest.
Mohamed said he had known the mechanic for more than 20 years. Rajkumar serviced his vehicles, worked for numerous other customers and had assisted his motor-racing team, he added.
He also expressed concern about Rajkumar’s health, claiming that the mechanic has a stomach condition requiring him to receive meals at specific times.
Mohamed further alleged that a tint-shop owner known to him as Troy was taken into custody without initially being allowed to contact his family.
Relatives spent much of the day trying to find him, Mohamed claimed. The businessman was permitted to make a telephone call only after being transferred to the Kitty Police Station later that night, he said.
According to Mohamed, Troy operates a known business and has provided vehicle-tinting services to private customers as well as police and government agencies. The reason for his reported detention was not immediately clear.
Mohamed also questioned the six-day detention of his former employee Mark Richmond.
Richmond was arrested earlier this month for questioning in connection with Fagundes’ murder. Previous reporting identified him as a former security employee of Mohamed Enterprise whose name had surfaced during earlier controversy over the investigation. Mohamed maintains that Richmond is innocent.
According to the Opposition Leader, police obtained permission to hold Richmond beyond the initial 72-hour period before releasing him on $1 million station bail.
Another former employee, identified as Mr Kanu, was reportedly released on the same bail amount.
Mohamed claimed that Richmond was not questioned during the six days he spent in custody.
“If there were no questions to ask him, then why was he held for six days in the first place?” he asked.
That assertion has not been independently confirmed. Police have not publicly detailed what investigative work was conducted during Richmond’s detention.
Mohamed said the effects extended beyond the time the men spent in custody.
“Who will compensate them for the income they have lost?” he asked. “Who will repair the damage done to their reputation?”
He accused the Government of sending investigators on a “wild-goose chase” while businesses lost income, families worried and people who had not been charged were publicly associated with a murder investigation.
Mohamed also questioned why Shaheed “Roger” Khan, a known associate of Fagundes, had not been the subject of a wanted bulletin. The absence of such a bulletin does not establish whether Khan has been interviewed or whether investigators consider him relevant to the reopened case.
Fagundes, 42, was shot more than 20 times after leaving the Palm Court nightclub on Main Street, Georgetown, on March 21, 2021.
Surveillance footage showed two gunmen emerging from a heavily tinted white Toyota Fielder before opening fire. A burnt vehicle was later found along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, although police did not initially establish publicly whether it was the getaway car.
The investigation became controversial in 2022 when Detective Sergeant Dion Bascom alleged that senior police officers were involved in a cover-up. The Guyana Police Force rejected those accusations and said foreign investigators had assisted with the probe.
No one has been convicted of Fagundes’ murder.
Mohamed is calling on the police to explain the legal basis for the recent detentions and clarify whether the people being questioned are suspects, witnesses or persons of interest.
