By News Americas Now Staff Writer
News Americas Now, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Fri. Oct. 30, 2026: As King Charles III wrapped up a two-day State Visit to Guyana on Friday, the country’s Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed was remanded to prison in a cybercrime case linked to leaked government surveillance footage.
Mohamed and Police Constable Ryan Greene were both denied bail at the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Court on the East Coast of Demerara, and remanded until Nov. 24. The pair face a charge under Guyana’s Cybercrime Act stemming from allegations that Greene accessed surveillance footage from the Guyana Police Force’s Command Centre and transferred it to Mohamed in exchange for GY$800,000.
Prosecutors argued that the alleged conduct raised concerns about witness interference and further obstruction of justice, while Magistrate Abigail Gibbs cited Mohamed’s other ongoing legal matters in refusing bail. Mohamed’s attorneys immediately announced plans to challenge the decision in the High Court.
Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde said there was “absolutely no basis” for refusing bail and accused the government of persecuting his client. The defense also challenged the prosecution’s characterization of the leaked footage as a national-security matter. Greene’s attorney, Darren Wade, argued that video showing events on public streets in Georgetown should not qualify as electronic data relating to national security.
FOOTAGE AT CENTER OF POLITICAL FIRESTORM
The charge stems from surveillance footage connected to an Oct. 12 shooting involving Mohamed and Senior Superintendent Prem Narine, head of the Guyana Police Force’s Special Branch. Mohamed has repeatedly described the incident as an attempted assassination and publicly screened more than 20 minutes of surveillance video that he says supports his account.
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Guyana Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed has been arrested for the fourth time in weeks as police investigate an alleged payment for government surveillance footage.Police dispute that characterization. Mohamed, his driver, and another staff member were previously charged with firearm, ammunition, and obstruction-related offenses arising from the same incident and were granted bail. The Guyana Police allege Greene later downloaded the surveillance footage and provided it to Mohamed for payment. Those allegations have not yet been proven in court.
MEDIA REPORTEDLY BARRED FROM COURTROOM
The high-profile proceedings also drew concern over press access. Local media reported that journalists were prevented by police from entering the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Court during Friday’s hearing, with officers saying they had been instructed to keep the media outside.
Forde later said the defense team had not been aware journalists were being excluded. The reported restriction adds another layer of scrutiny to a case already generating intense political debate in Guyana.
REMAND COMES DURING KING CHARLES VISIT
Mohamed’s remand came on the same day King Charles III completed his first visit to Guyana in 26 years. The monarch spent Friday meeting Indigenous leaders, business representatives and environmental officials, while praising Guyana’s forest-conservation efforts and discussing deeper cooperation between Guyana and the United Kingdom.
His final public engagement took place at the Kingston Seawall before his departure for Antigua and Barbuda. The royal visit had already unfolded against a politically charged backdrop.
On Thursday, supporters of Mohamed’s We Invest in Nationhood, (WIN), party protested near State House ahead of a reception for King Charles hosted by President Irfaan Ali. ,Demonstrators demanded Mohamed’s release, called for reparations for descendants of enslaved Africans and protested against Senior Superintendent Narine. A separate group of anti-Mohamed demonstrators also gathered nearby, with police keeping the two sides apart.
The protests occurred as Charles’ Caribbean tour continued to draw renewed attention to Britain’s role in slavery and regional demands for reparatory justice.
A DEEPENING POLITICAL CONFRONTATION
Friday’s decision means Guyana’s opposition leader will remain behind bars unless a higher court grants bail. His attorneys have indicated they are prepared to take the matter through Guyana’s appellate courts and, if necessary, to the Caribbean Court of Justice.
The cybercrime case now sits alongside Mohamed’s other pending legal proceedings, including separate firearm-related charges and extradition proceedings involving a request from the United States.
For Guyana, the timing is striking. As the government hosted the British monarch and promoted the country internationally as a growing economic and environmental leader, its opposition leader was led from court in handcuffs and sent to prison. The courts will ultimately decide the legal questions surrounding Mohamed. But the political confrontation surrounding his arrest, prosecution, and remand is no longer confined to the courtroom.
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