Second police officer charged in Mohamed CCTV footage case
A second constable has been charged over the leaked Command Centre footage as Home Affairs orders a security review.
GEORGETOWN — A second police constable has been charged under the Cybercrime Act in connection with the alleged unauthorised transfer of police surveillance footage at the centre of a case involving Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed.
Police Constable Ashton Chappelle, 24, of Non Pariel, East Coast Demerara, appeared before Magistrate Abigail Gibbs at the Sparendaam Magistrates' Court on Monday, November 2.
He was charged with obtaining and giving electronic data relating to the national security of the State, under Section 9(1)(b) of the Cybercrime Act 2018, with the penalty provision at Section 9(2)(b).
The offence was allegedly committed on October 24. Chappelle was arrested on October 30, refused bail and remanded to prison until November 24.
What is alleged
The footage relates to the October 12 shooting outside the Kitty residence of Senior Superintendent Prem Narine, head of the Guyana Police Force's Special Branch and a witness in the US extradition proceedings involving Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed.
Chappelle's name emerged during a High Court hearing last week on a habeas corpus application filed by Mohamed's lawyers.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall told the court that investigators alleged Chappelle had admitted downloading the recordings at the Police Command Centre in Liliendaal, copying them to a flash drive and handing the device to Constable Ryan Greene.
Greene, 20, and Mohamed, 39, were charged jointly on October 30 under Section 9 of the Cybercrime Act. The prosecution alleges that Greene supplied the recordings to Mohamed in exchange for G$800,000. Both were refused bail and remanded until November 24.
Mohamed subsequently made the footage public, maintaining that it supported his account of the October 12 incident.
None of the allegations has been tested at trial.
Coomand Centre review
The Ministry of Home Affairs has called for a comprehensive review of personnel, access controls, supervisory arrangements and operational procedures at the Command Centre.
In its statement, the Ministry said the alleged breach raised questions about adherence to operating procedures and the safeguards protecting sensitive information.
It said the findings would guide tighter security controls, stronger supervision and possible legislative reform.
The review will seek to identify how the alleged breach occurred and whether failures of access control or oversight contributed to it.
What comes next
Chappelle, Greene and Mohamed are scheduled to return to the Sparendaam Magistrates' Court on November 24.
The police investigation and the review of Command Centre security procedures remain ongoing.
