High Court allows Azruddin Mohamed to file bail application affidavit in his own name

Last Updated on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, 12:22 by Written By Denis Chabrol

The High Court on Wednesday allowed Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed to file an affidavit in his own right in support of a bail application on cybercrime offences connected to the acquisition of police surveillance video.

Justice Priscilla Chandra-Hanif allowed Mr Mohamed, through his lawyers Siand Dhurjon and Roysdale Forde, to file an affidavit on later Wednesday on any issues arising in his mother Bonita Mohamed’s affidavit.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall queried whether they should not have filed that affidavit in the first instance rather than by his mother, but the judge noted that Mr Dhurjon had raised concerns about access to Mr Mohamed.

Justice Chandra-Hanif said defence lawyers would have access to Mr Mohamed between 1PM and 6PM and then they would file his affidavit by 6 PM. The Attorney General was given up to Friday, November 6 to file any objections and the defence would file a response on November 8.

The court would also decide whether several sections of an affidavit by Mr Mohamed’s mother, on his behalf, should be deleted and leave what is absolutely necessary for consideration by the court.

Mr Nandlall said about 33 of the 50 paragraphs in Ms Bonita Mohamed’s affidavit should be struck out because they are “alleged to be either scandalous, vexatious” and not within her knowledge. 

Later in Wednesday’s court hearing, Mr Forde said Mr Mohamed was being held in what amounts to solitary confinement for 23 hours 50 minutes, without proper ventilation, saying the conditions were “oppressive and unlawful.” In light of the number of days the bail application to be heard, Mr Forde requested that an order be made that Mr Mohamed not be kept in circumstances which are not oppressive and constitute solitary confinement”.  Mr Nandlall, at the invitation of the judge, was not being kept in oppressive conditions or solitary confinement. Instead, he said Mr Mohamed was being kept in a high profile prison cell, a position that he backed up with pictures.

Mr Dhurjon also applied for Mr Mohamed to stay in a police lockups near the nearest rather than being on a floor for himself. He said a bright light was being shone on Mr Mohamed, amounting to “psychological abuse”. In response, Justice Chandra-Hanif said she expected that the State and prison service would ensure that the conditions under which Mr Mohamed was being currently held are not oppressive.

The judge was cautious about ordering that Mr Mohamed be moved with the general prison population for fear that something could happen to him.  However, Mr Dhurjon said “the people in the prison would love Mr Mohamed”. But Mr Nandlall said, “you know how irrational, immature, and reckless such a statement is.”

Mr Mohamed and 20-year old police constable Ryan Greene were on October 30 remanded to prison until November 24, 2026, having been charged under Section 9 (2)(b) of the Cybercrime Act which states that a person commits an offence who, through authorised or unauthorised means, obtains or accesses electronic data which relates to the national security of the State or is stored on a computer system and is protected against unauthorised access, and intentionally and without lawful excuse or justification grants access to or gives the electronic data to another person, whether or not he knows that the other person is authorised to receive or have access to the electronic data. If found guilty on indictment, they could be fined GYD$8 million and jailed for five years.

The charge stems from Mr Greene’s alleged downloading of the video of an October 12 shooting at the car in which Mr Mohamed, his driver and a staff member were travelling allegedly by the Head of the Guyana Police Force’ espionage department, Senior Superintendent Prem Narine.

The trio is on bail for alleged possession of a firearm and ammunition and attempting to obstruct the course of justice by allegedly discharging a loaded firearm near Mr Narine’s residence.

Mr Narine is a key witness in the  court hearing of a United States’ request for his extradition and that of his father, Nazar Mohamed. Mr Mohamed played the more than 20-minute video at a news conference last month ti dispute aspects of an accusation, triggering a police probe.