Azruddin Mohamed released from police custody on self-bail

Last Updated on Thursday, 17 July 2025, 23:10 by Writer

City businessman and Leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) political party, Azruddin Mohamed was Thursday released from police custody as part of investigations into obstructing the course of justice.

Mohamed told reporters that he spent four hours at the La Penitence Police Station, as police probed whether he had anything to do with engineering the private settlement of several crimes allegedly committed on a party activist by one of his party organisers, Bradley “Doggy” Sampson.

The WIN Leader’s lawyer told reporters after they emerged from the police station that Mr Mohamed did nothing wrong in trying to reach a settlement, allegedly offering GY$500,000 to settle a grievance. “The allegation against him discloses no known offence in law. Now, there is nothing nefarious about that,” the lawyer said.

Mr Mohamed surrendered to police after they went to a gated community at Providence at about 11:30 Wednesday night when they “bullied their way in” to speak with him but he was not there. “I don’t know what is this. This is a clear case of political persecution,” he said.

For its part, the Guyana Police Force said that at about 4 p.m. on Wednesday, July 16, a 29-year-old female sales representative and a resident of McDoom, East Bank Demerara, went to the East La Penitence Police Station and reported that on the 14th July 2025, she was beaten and assaulted by Mr Sampson.

The woman told police that she was employed by Mr Sampson, a key WIN party organiser, to perform certain tasks on Nominations Day for that party, and in return Sampson promised to pay her GY$50,000.

At about 11:00 a.m. on 15th July 2025, the woman said she went to the Square of the Revolution (Cuffy Square), Vlissengen Road, Georgetown, to uplift the payment from Sampson. However, Sampson only paid her GY$10,000.

The woman, according to police, alleged that an argument erupted and Mr Sampson kicked, cuffed and also lashed her with a gun to her head, causing her to receive multiple injuries. The woman informed the Police that most of the incident was captured on video and shared widely on social media, police added.

Police also related that Mr Sampson later called her via Facebook Messenger and requested for her to meet him at Azruddin Mohamed’s house at Green Field, East Bank Demerara. As requested, that afternoon, she met with Mohamed, Sampson, and other persons at the said location.

The woman informed the Police that she was detained against her will at the premises by several armed security guards in excess of an hour. Mr Mohamed allegedly shouted at her angrily when he learnt that the video of the incident with Sampson was already on Facebook in the presence of Mr Sampson.

“Azruddin Mohamed instructed her not to pursue the matter against Sampson, to accompany Sampson to the Police Station, and to inform the Police that she is withdrawing all complaints against Sampson; and in consideration thereof, he will pay to her $500,000,” police said.

Police said the woman also reported that one of the guards at the premises said to her, ‘Don’t feel I don’t know you living in McDoom.’ He then raised his jersey and showed her a black handgun that was tucked in his waist, police added. She said that resulted in her being fearful for her life. Eventually, she reportedly said she was permitted to leave the premises. However, she further alleged between 7:45 and 9:00 hours on 16th July, 2025, Doggy called her multiple times on her cellphone, asking her not to pursue the matter, but she refused to do so.

The woman made a report to the Police at East La Penitence Police Station. She was subsequently examined by a doctor regarding the injuries received, and a medical certificate was duly issued.

“The Police considered the allegations which have been made against Mr. Azruddin Mohamed and his security guards to be of a serious nature and may involve the commission of several serious criminal offences, including attempting to pervert the course of justice,” the Guyana Police Force said.

As a result, police said they attempted to contact Mr. Mohamed Wednesday night at the said premises for the purpose of investigating the allegations made against him. Additionally, the Police had video evidence that Sampson was at the Providence premises.