Azruddin Mohamed and two employees granted GY$750,000 bail each over Kitty incident

The three men face firearm, ammunition and attempting to pervert the course of justice charges. The court imposed restrictions on travel and contact with prosecution witnesses, including Senior Superintendent Prem Narine.

GEORGETOWN — Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and two of his employees were each granted GY$750,000 bail on Friday after appearing in court on charges arising from an incident near the Kitty home of Senior Superintendent Prem Narine earlier this week.

Mohamed, driver Eugene Thorne and videographer Mario Mohamed appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

The three face charges of unlawful possession of a .32-calibre pistol, unlawful possession of three rounds of matching ammunition and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Prosecutors allege that the three attempted to pervert the course of justice by discharging a firearm at or near Narine’s Barr Street residence on October 12.

The firearm and ammunition possession charges relate to October 13 and allege that the weapon and ammunition were in their possession at Alexander Street, Kitty.

Narine is a witness in the separate extradition proceedings involving Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed.

Bail conditions

Magistrate McGusty set bail at GY$250,000 on each of the three charges, bringing the total to GY$750,000 for each defendant.

The defendants must not directly or indirectly contact, threaten, intimidate or attempt to influence prosecution witnesses.

They must also have no contact with Narine or members of his immediate family and must stay away from his residence and from Barr Street between Vlissengen Road and Alexander Street.

Thorne and Mario Mohamed were ordered to surrender their passports and other travel documents. Azruddin Mohamed had already surrendered his under conditions imposed in the separate extradition proceedings. None of the three may leave Guyana without the court’s permission.

They must also report to the Kitty Police Station and keep the court informed of changes to their addresses and contact information.

The matter was adjourned to November 6.

Questions raised in court

During Friday’s hearing, the defence challenged several aspects of the prosecution’s case, including the circumstances in which the firearm was allegedly recovered, the handling of the vehicle after an initial search and the location identified in the charges.

The prosecution opposed bail, raising concerns about possible interference with witnesses in the ongoing extradition proceedings.

In considering bail, Magistrate McGusty noted that the prosecution had not presented CCTV footage establishing whether the sound reported near Narine’s residence was a gunshot or whether it came from the vehicle occupied by the defendants.

The court was also told that the prosecution needed additional time to complete disclosure of its evidence.

The defence team includes Siand Dhurjon, Damien Da Silva and Roysdale Forde.

What happened in Kitty

According to the police account, Narine heard what appeared to be a gunshot as a vehicle passed his Barr Street home shortly before midnight on October 12.

Police said Narine took cover and fired several rounds from his service weapon towards the vehicle.

The vehicle was later intercepted, and police reported recovering a .32-calibre Taurus pistol with its serial number reportedly removed and three rounds of ammunition.

Mohamed denies that anyone travelling with him fired a weapon. His defence has challenged the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the pistol and alleges that the weapon was planted after police took control of the vehicle.

Those claims remain disputed.

Separate extradition proceedings

The Kitty case is separate from the extradition proceedings involving Azruddin Mohamed and Nazar Mohamed following a request from the United States.

The Court of Appeal has reserved its ruling on a constitutional challenge to the Fugitive Offenders Act. The extradition hearing is due to continue on October 21.