The Government of Guyana has vowed to take firm action against any attempts to interfere with the administration of justice, following an incident involving Opposition Leader Azzruddin Mohamed and Senior Superintendent of Police Prem Narine outside the officer’s Kitty residence.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the government said the protection of witnesses remains a fundamental responsibility of the State, particularly as Narine is currently giving evidence in the ongoing extradition proceedings involving the Mohameds.
“The State has a duty to protect its justice system from interference and perversions. Witnesses are key to any justice system. They must always feel safe when they testify,” the statement said.
The government’s warning follows allegations that Mohamed and two other men were in a heavily tinted vehicle outside Narine’s home on Barr Street, Kitty, around midnight, reportedly filming the property.
According to the statement, gunshots were fired from the vehicle, prompting Narine to return fire using his service weapon. Spent shells were reportedly recovered near the residence.
Police subsequently pursued and intercepted the vehicle. Mohamed was allegedly seated in the back alongside two other occupants in the front. The government said an unlicensed firearm was discovered and the three men were taken into custody.
The administration also drew attention to Narine’s previous testimony before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, during which he reportedly expressed fears for his safety and that of his family.
Those concerns followed the publication of photographs of Narine and his relatives, including his minor son, on Mohamed’s Facebook page.
“The legal implications here are many and far reaching. Witnesses have already turned up dead in murder investigations implicating Mohamed. The ramifications here would not only affect the safety of witnesses testifying in the ongoing extradition case in Guyana, but it has implications for the criminal justice system of the United Stated of America (USA),” the statement read.
It disclosed that the US Department of Justice is being kept informed of the developments.
While investigations remain ongoing, the government said several possible criminal offences are under consideration and rejected what it described as attempts to misrepresent the circumstances of the incident.
“The law must be allowed to take its course. The full force of the law will be applied,” the statement emphasised.
