A Guyana magistrate has ordered opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed and Police Constable Ryan Greene to remain in police custody until November 24 after rejecting their bail applications on charges involving the unauthorised sharing of government surveillance recordings.
Magistrate Abigail Gibbs made the ruling on October 30 at Sparendaam Magistrates Court. According to police, Greene, aged 20, obtained CCTV material from the Government's surveillance system while working at the Police Command Centre and gave it to Mohamed in exchange for GY$800,000.
Mohamed was taken into custody on October 28 at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, days after he posted the footage publicly online on October 26. He contended that the recordings supported his assertion that Senior Superintendent Prem Narine, who heads Special Branch, fired at him during an October 12 confrontation at Narine's residence in Kitty, Georgetown. Police have rejected Mohamed's version of what occurred that evening.
In her decision, Magistrate Gibbs stated she believed both men posed a risk of committing additional offences if set free. She also factored in Mohamed's existing legal complications, which include extradition proceedings and separate firearms and ammunition charges for which he had previously received bail.
Investigators continue their work and are collecting evidence, including exchanges between Mohamed and Greene, police said. They are also seeking to contact Mohamed's driver, Eugene Thorne.
Mohamed's legal representatives, headed by Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde, intend to seek bail review in the High Court. Forde contended that the charges do not fulfil the legal requirements outlined in Section 9 of the Cybercrime Act. Greene's attorney, Darren Wade, will pursue a similar application.
Mohamed's political movement, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), has staged demonstrations following his arrest. The court has yet to hear evidence substantiating the charges as investigations proceed.
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