Special Branch Head maintains Mohamed is a threat to Guyana in extradition testimony

Head of the Special Branch, Senior Superintendent Prem Narine maintained that the Leader of the Opposition, Azruddin Mohamed is a threat to the people of Guyana as Defence Attorney Siand Dhurjon concluded his cross-examination of Narine today after weeks of intense grilling.

“Azruddin Mohamed is a threat to the people of the country,” Narine told the Court as he rejected the final suggestion put to him by Dhurjon that the businessman turned politician is not a threat to the country, but to the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government.

Senior Superintendent Narine has been on the stand since September 3 in the extradition proceedings being heard in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

His final hours of cross-examination by Dhurjon saw him being questioned on his interaction with U.S Marshal, Sandy Rao, and his involvement in the arrest of Azruddin Mohamed, and his father Nazar Mohamed, who were both indicted by the U.S and are facing extradition.

The Court heard that the U.S Marshal was present when Narine, and others executed the arrest of Azruddin Mohamed and later his father, Nazar Mohamed on October 31, 2025 after warrants for their arrests were issued by the Court in response to a request from the U.S for them to be extradited.

Dhurjon suggested that Narine together with Rao along with another US Law Enforcement Officer Michael (Mike) Diaz worked together on the Mohameds’ case to facilitate the men’s extradition to the U.S. Narine rejected the suggestion.

He, however, clarified that he and Rao “coordinated” on the case. The Court then heard that on the morning of October 31, 2025, the Special Branch Head proceeded to the Marriott Hotel in Kingston to uplift the U.S Marshal after he had received a bundle of documents from the Attorney General’s Chambers, which included draft arrest warrants for the father and son.

He said from the hotel they went to the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court before the arrests were executed. Azruddin Mohamed was first arrested on Smyth Street, and then his father at his Lombard Street Office.

According to Narine, no one instructed him to pickup Rao.

“I asked him to accompany me through the process. I believe he would have said yes, that’s why I went to pick him up,” Narine explained.

But Dhurjon suggested to Narine that he was not being honest with the Court. He further suggested that Narine and the foreign officers were integrally involved in the process along with the Government to seek the extradition of the Mohameds.

But the Special Branch Head rejected the assertions, repeatedly telling the court “That’s not true.”

Narine’s visit to the Attorney General’s Chambers and his engagements with the U.S Marshal, including a meeting that U.S Marshal had with the Mohameds following their arrest on October 31, 2025 were not captured in the report Narine filed in the station diary. However, in Court today, he disclosed that he provided the Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken with an oral report on the events that unfolded that day during a phone call.

Narine was also grilled on the manner in which Azruddin Mohamed was arrested that day with the Defence suggesting that unnecessary force was used, and the handcuffs were placed so tightly on the then presumptive Opposition Leader’s hands that they began to cut his skin. The Court also heard that Azruddin Mohamed had also asked not to be placed in the trail of the police van but his request was shut down.

Narine rejected the assertion. Interjecting Special Prosecutor Herbert McKenzie told the Court that it is not uncommon for leaders to be arrested and handcuffed. However, he was sure to point out that there was no report of anyone being beaten or physically assaulted.

Today, also saw a number of Dhurjon’s questions being deemed by the court as “irrelevant” to the case.

A question related to the investigation into the murder of Ricardo Fagundes, who was gunned down on March 2021 was among the questions deemed irrelevant by the Court following objections from the Prosecution.

The Defence Attorney had suggested that since October, 2025 to now, Narine has been investigating alleged offences committed by Azruddin Mohamed. Narine responded in the affirmative, explaining to the Court that he has been engaging in intelligence gathering to aid the investigation.

It was then that Dhurjon alluded to the Fagundes Case, explaining to the Court that he intended to show that Narine allegedly sought to solicit false statements from at least two persons, including a prisoner by way of “reward, promise or threat” to implicate Azruddin Mohamed in the murder.

But the Magistrate did not permit the question.

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