By News Americas Now Staff Writer
News Americas Now, NY, NY, Fri. Oct. 16, 2026: Guyana Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and two other men were granted bail Friday in the sum of $250,000 on each charge, following a Georgetown Magistrates’ Court hearing that saw his defense team accuse police of fabricating evidence and targeting him as part of a “calculated attempt” to eliminate him politically.
Mohamed, his driver Eugene Thorne, and his videographer Mario Mohamed appeared before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty and were jointly charged with possession of a firearm without a licence and possession of ammunition without a licence. A third charge, attempting to obstruct the course of justice, was laid indictably, and the defendants were not required to enter a plea.
THE CHARGES
The charges stem from an incident earlier in the week outside the Kitty residence of Senior Superintendent Prem Narine, head of the Guyana Police Force’s Special Branch. Narine has said he heard what sounded like gunfire before discharging several rounds from his own service weapon toward a vehicle carrying Mohamed and his associates.
Attorney-at-Law Siand Dhurjon, representing Mohamed, mounted a forceful challenge to the prosecution’s case. He argued that Mohamed was performing his duties as Leader of the Opposition at the time, noted the vehicle was not tinted, and questioned why officers would have been unable to identify him. Dhurjon also raised concerns about the handling of the vehicle — which he said was driven to the police station by a Special Branch rank — the seizure of the defendants’ cellphones, and the absence of any CCTV footage of the incident despite its seriousness. In his most pointed submission, Dhurjon alleged the episode formed part of a calculated attempt to eliminate the Opposition Leader, and questioned how three men could allegedly have discharged a single firearm between them.
Attorney-at-Law Damion DaSilva, representing Thorne, raised similar arguments about the missing video evidence. Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde, representing Mario Mohamed, described the prosecution’s objections to bail as reckless and argued the Opposition Leader’s associates were being treated as “collateral damage” in a wider political confrontation, with state power being used to target Mohamed.
THE PROSECUTION
The prosecution maintained there was no direct evidence establishing who had actually discharged the firearm.
In granting bail, Magistrate McGusty took note of the disputed circumstances surrounding the alleged discovery of the firearm, including references to a second search of the vehicle, and highlighted the absence, so far, of CCTV footage.
Bail was granted subject to strict conditions: all three men must surrender their passports, refrain from contacting prosecution witnesses — particularly Narine and his immediate family — and stay away from Narine’s Barr Street residence. They must also notify the court of any change of address and obtain court permission before traveling. The matter was adjourned to November 6.
The case is separate from Mohamed’s ongoing fight against a U.S. extradition request, on which Guyana’s Court of Appeal has reserved its ruling on a related constitutional challenge to the Fugitive Offenders Act.
This is a developing story.
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