Court dismisses charges against former Mayor Ubraj Narine, MP Sherod Duncan

Jun 21, 2025 News

…cites insufficient evidence by state

Court dismisses charges against former Mayor Ubraj Narine, MP Sherod Duncan

Former Mayor of Georgetown Ubraj Narine

Kaieteur News – Senior Magistrate, Leron Daly on Friday dismissed charges against former Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine and opposition Member of Parliament Sherod Duncan, ruling that the state failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove allegations of attempting to excite ethnic division.

The two opposition figures were charged back in December 2022. Narine and Duncan were accused of making statements allegedly stirring racial hostility and cybercrime.

The charges stemmed from comments made by then Mayor Narine during a Ministry of Public Works’ exercise to remove stalls along New Market Street (in front of the Georgetown Public Hospital).

During an interview with Duncan, Narine said, “Is it because I am a Hindu and he is a Muslim that he cannot work with me. The government is a dictatorship government and is this state going to become a Muslim state…? These are black people here who are vending here and you are going to bulldoze them instead of having a talk with them like you did with the speedboat operators, rice farmers, cane cutters or fishermen, they are mostly Hindus that’s why you went there, but because these are black people, you are bulldozing them like animals, like dogs…”

Opposition Member of Parliament, Sherod Duncan

Delivering her ruling, Magistrate Daly, pointed out that several crucial elements of the offenses were not proven by the prosecution, particularly the requirement to demonstrate intent to stir hostility based on race.

“To my mind, the following evidence was necessary. First, I am of the view that evidence that the defendant excited or attempted to excite hostility or ill will against a section of the public or a person. That’s the first thing the state was required to prove that the defendant, by his words or actions, excited or attempted to excite hostility against a section of the population or a particular person,” the magistrate said.

Magistrate Daly outlined that based on the evidence presented to the court, attributed to Narine, the court is of the view that the statements did not amount to racial hostility but were interpreted as a comparison between the treatment of different groups.

“The way I interpreted what was said, the words that were spoken, I saw those words to me that the speaker that would have been Mr. Narine. He was making a comparison of the way two groups of people were treated. That’s the way I interpreted it. The words that were said, and the conclusion I came to is that a comparison was being made,” she ruled.

Regarding the Cyber Crime Act charge, the magistrate noted that the state did not produce evidence to confirm that a computer system, as defined under the Act, was used to transmit the alleged video. “I did not find that the state presented evidence in support of the elements of the computer system. I have to ask you, [prosecutor name] did you present evidence in relation to [this], I know the act defines what the computer system is. However, the court noted that the device that was used, was never taken to be examined,” she asked during her ruling and the prosecutor acknowledged that she did not lead evidence to support that aspect.

Senior Magistrate Daly also declared that the state had not met the prima facie case required for either charge and dismissed the matters entirely. “So, in the circumstances, this court rules that in neither of the matters, the state would have discharged its burden, at least at the prima facie level, both matters are dismissed based on insufficient evidence,” she concluded.

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Cybercrime, Insufficient evidence, Racial hostility, Sherod Duncan, Ubraj Narine

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