HGP Nightly News – Senior Superintendent Prem Narine has acknowledged that Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed was never arrested, interviewed or charged in connection with six alleged killings cited during his testimony in the ongoing extradition proceedings.
The admission came under cross-examination before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman.
Narine, who heads the Special Branch, had identified Mohamed during his testimony as the greatest threat to Guyana’s national security.
Defence attorney Siand Dhurjon questioned the basis for that assessment, particularly Narine’s reliance on intelligence linking Mohamed to alleged violent crimes.
The court heard that Narine previously served as Divisional Detective Officer responsible for the Criminal Investigation Department at Diamond Police Station.
During that period, an explosion aboard a vessel at Friendship, East Bank Demerara, reportedly claimed three lives.
Despite having investigative responsibility within the division, Narine acknowledged that Mohamed was not arrested, interviewed or charged over those deaths.
He also confirmed Mohamed had not been charged in relation to other allegations of homicide, torture or bribery raised during the proceedings.
Narine said he had received intelligence surrounding the incidents but could not recall which superior officer he reported the information to. He said it was shared with “controlled officers” and not the Crime Chief.
The senior officer also acknowledged that he was not present during any of the alleged killings and had no direct visual evidence connecting Mohamed to them.
He said his information came from informants.
The allegations referenced by Narine included incidents dating back to before 2011, an alleged 2015 incident and the later Friendship vessel explosion. Collectively, he referred to six alleged deaths.
Dh urjon also questioned Narine about whether Special Branch’s focus on Mohamed was politically motivated following Mohamed’s entry into politics.
Narine rejected that suggestion.
He denied receiving political instructions from government officials or attempting to remove Mohamed from public life for political reasons.
Narine maintained that his actions were based solely on what he considered national-security concerns and would be pursued “by all legal means possible.”
The cross-examination forms part of the continuing extradition committal proceedings involving Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed.
