‘Apparent Conflict of Interest and Cruel Confinement’: Mother of Azruddin Mohamed Moves to High Court.

By Travis Chase | HGP News|

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — In an explosive constitutional bail application filed in the Demerara High Court, Bonita Mohamed, mother of Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, has moved to secure her son’s immediate release from prison, leveling serious accusations of apparent judicial bias against the presiding magistrate and describing his detention conditions at the Lusignan Prison as cruel and inhumane.

The urgent legal motion, filed on Monday, November 2, 2026, directly challenges the October 30 ruling of Sparendaam Magistrate Abigail Gibbs, who remanded Mohamed and Police Constable Ryan Greene to prison until November 24 on a charge under the Cybercrime Act 2018 regarding the alleged unauthorized receipt and dissemination of Police Command Centre surveillance footage.

According to court filings seen by HGP Nightly News, the defense is petitioning the Supreme Court of Judicature to overturn the remand order, arguing that the magistrate’s failure to recuse herself breached constitutional guarantees of a fair hearing before an independent and impartial tribunal, while asserting that the state has subjected the constitutional Leader of the Opposition to unlawful solitary confinement.

Allegation of Judicial Bias: Undisclosed Relationship with Lead Detective

At the center of the judicial bias argument is an alleged personal connection between the bench and active police investigators:

• The Conflict of Interest Claim: The court documents allege that Magistrate Abigail Gibbs shares a longstanding romantic relationship with Deputy Superintendent of Police Jamine Bacon.
• Investigative Involvement: The application points out that Deputy Superintendent Bacon was actively involved in investigating the high-profile October 12 armed confrontation outside the Barr Street, Kitty residence of Special Branch Head Senior Superintendent Prem Narine.
• Compromised Impartiality: Mohamed’s legal team contends that this undisclosed relationship created an apparent conflict of interest that compromised the magistrate’s impartiality when she evaluated the prosecution’s objections and denied Mohamed pretrial bail on October 30.

‘Cruel and Inhumane’: Solitary Confinement and Dumpsite Fumes

Beyond procedural irregularities, the application paints a dire picture of Mohamed’s custodial environment inside the Lusignan Prison on the East Coast of Demerara:

• Solitary Confinement: The motion states that the Opposition Leader is being held in isolation with severely restricted human contact and recreation, well beyond standard pretrial detention norms.
• Environmental Hazards: Bonita Mohamed details that her son is confined to a poorly ventilated cell subjected to extreme indoor heat, combined with constant exposure to smoke, toxic fumes, and foul odors emanating from a nearby dumpsite.
• Violation of Fundamental Rights: The filing characterizes these conditions as cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, arguing that punitive custodial detention is being used as a mechanism to break the defendant’s resolve before trial.

Evidential Deficiencies and the ‘Lawful Justification’ Defense

On the substantive merits of the cybercrime charge, Mohamed’s attorneys argue that the magistrate fundamentally misdirected herself in law:

• Lawful Justification for Disclosing CCTV: The application asserts that Mohamed had lawful justification and reasonable excuse for receiving and publicly screening the Safe Country surveillance records, arguing the video was essential material evidence required to defend himself against trumped-up criminal charges arising from the Kitty shooting.
• Lack of Admissible Evidence: The defense maintains that the police failed to lay an adequate evidential foundation connecting Mohamed to the unauthorized extraction at the National Data Centre, questioning whether the statutory cybercrime offense relied upon by the State actually applies to his conduct.
• Prior Compliance with Bail: The High Court has been urged to note that Mohamed has consistently complied with all prior bail recognizances, asserting that his arbitrary remand violates his constitutional right to liberty and demanding that the High Court grant reasonable bail pending the November 24 magistrate court hearing