Special Branch Chief testifies Opposition Leader is a national security threat

Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed is considered a threat to national security based on intelligence available to the Guyana Police Force, Senior Superintendent of Police Prem Narine told the court Monday.

Narine, who heads the force’s Special Branch Unit, made the assessment while being cross-examined by defence counsel Siand Dhurjon during the ongoing extradition proceedings involving Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed.

Asked whether he personally regarded Azruddin Mohamed as a national security threat, Narine said: “Based on information that I have, I would consider Azruddin Mohamed a threat to national security.”
He also maintained that the Opposition Leader poses a threat to society.

The defence also sought to establish whether political considerations, including President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s public statements about Azruddin Mohamed, had influenced Narine’s involvement in the extradition proceedings.

When questioned by the Mohameds’ lawyer, the senior cop said he was unaware of any public statement by the President describing Azruddin Mohamed as a national security threat.

Dhurjon then suggested that President Ali had instructed Narine to become involved in the matter. The police witness rejected that suggestion outright.

“Definitely not,” he told the court.

He said a direct instruction from the President was something he would remember. Narine also told the court that police officers are not obligated to carry out an unlawful directive.

The defence further suggested that Narine had been specifically directed to ensure Azruddin Mohamed and his father were arrested before Parliament resumed on Monday, November 3, 2025. Narine said he could not recall receiving such an instruction.

The two men were arrested in Georgetown on Friday, October 31, 2025.

The evidence is being heard as the United States seeks the extradition of the Mohameds to face an 11-count federal indictment.

The charges include wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, among other offences, arising from allegations that the Mohameds sought to evade taxes and royalties owed in Guyana on gold exports.

The indictment alleges about US$50 million in lost taxes and royalties involving more than 10,000 kilogrammes of gold, while a separate allegation concerns more than US$1 million in taxes linked to a Lamborghini shipment.

The extradition hearing is ongoing and is scheduled to continue on Thursday, September 10, before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.