Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has rejected claims by We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Presidential Candidate Azruddin Mohamed that he is being politically targeted following his brief detention by police on Thursday.
Mohamed had turned himself in for questioning in connection with an ongoing investigation into alleged obstruction of justice. The matter stems from a complaint made by a young woman who reported being assaulted by WIN party organiser Bradley ‘Doggy’ Sampson and later claimed that Mohamed tried to pressure her into withdrawing the complaint.
At a press conference hours after Mohamed’s release, Jagdeo defended the Guyana Police Force’s actions, including the deployment of heavily armed officers to the WIN campaign headquarters the previous night.
“The Police Force has a responsibility to investigate criminal acts,” Jagdeo said. “Their presence at the WIN office had nothing to do with politics.
It was in response to a report that involved serious allegations, including attempts to pervert the course of justice.” Jagdeo questioned why Mohamed should be exempt from scrutiny simply because he is running for public office.
“Are they saying that because he is Mohamed, the police can’t question him? The story being pushed is that he’s being persecuted as a candidate, but this is about an allegation that he was involved in covering up a violent assault, not about politics,” the Vice President said.
He further stated that had the police failed to act, there would have been public criticism over unequal application of the law. “If the police didn’t go, people would say he’s being treated differently — that an ordinary person would face consequences, but not him. This is a criminal matter, and he is directly linked to it,” Jagdeo added.
Referring to the alleged victim’s account, Jagdeo described her statement as “horrifying” and criticised what he views as a superficial distancing by the WIN party from those involved.
“The woman said she was assaulted, then taken to Mohamed’s house, held there against her will, and threatened. Now we’re being told that this is all political persecution?” Jagdeo asked.
Mohamed has denied any involvement in attempting to interfere with the investigation or influence the complainant. He was released from custody without being charged or placed on bail.
