HGP NIGHTLY NEWS – Forward Guyana Movement Leader and Member of Parliament Amanza Walton-Desir is accusing the Government of publicly prejudging aspects of the case involving Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and two of his employees, even while investigations into the controversial Kitty shooting were still underway.
Walton-Desir took particular issue with an October 13 Government statement which referred to the two men accompanying Mohamed as his “henchmen” and described its account of the incident as “uncontroverted facts.”
She argued that such language was inappropriate at a time when competing accounts of the shooting and subsequent police actions had not yet been tested.
“It cannot credibly insist that the law be allowed to take its course while using its own platform to prejudge people under investigation,” Walton-Desir stated.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has since advised that charges be brought against Mohamed and the two members of his staff.
Walton-Desir said those charges must now be dealt with before the courts, where the prosecution’s evidence can be tested and the accused given an opportunity to answer the allegations.
But she stressed that the decision to prosecute does not settle separate allegations made against police, including claims of assault, excessive force and the planting of a firearm.
Those allegations have not been established.
Walton-Desir said investigators must establish who searched Mohamed’s vehicle, when each search was conducted, who had access to the vehicle and how the firearm police say was recovered was handled before and after its discovery.
She also called for all relevant recordings, police communications, search records and forensic material to be preserved.
The MP further argued that the Guyana Police Force should not be solely responsible for investigating the incident, given Senior Superintendent Prem Narine’s senior position, his previous involvement with Mohamed and his direct participation in the disputed shooting.
Walton-Desir maintained that questioning Mohamed’s decision to be near the home of a witness involved in his extradition proceedings does not mean that allegations of police misconduct should escape scrutiny.
“Defending Azruddin Mohamed’s right to lawful treatment does not mean endorsing his actions,” she said, adding that disapproving of his conduct also does not require the public to accept the police account without scrutiny.
Walton-Desir warned that confidence in state institutions must be earned through transparency, accountability and independent scrutiny, rather than simply demanded from the public.
