Latest update July 21st, 2026 1:09 AM
Police deny Guyanese man was kidnapped by Surinamese officials
…say suspect agreed to waive extradition proceedings
(from left to right) Attorney Dexter Smartt, Dexter Todd, David’s sister Agisha Alder, and Eden Corbin
Kaieteur News – The alleged extradition of a Guyanese businessman, Raymond David, to Suriname is being challenged by his legal team, who claims the act was illegal and amounts to kidnapping. But the Guyana Government said that the man had agreed to waive his right to an extradition hearing, saying that he had preferred to go back to Suriname for trial.
David’s attorney, Dr. Dexter Todd told the media on Thursday that no formal extradition procedures were followed, and there was no record of any murder charge or investigation against him in Suriname. However, in response to a letter by Todd, Solicitor General Nigel Hawke said that the process employed to release David into Suriname law enforcement custody is provided for through the mutual assistance cooperation arrangement in criminal matters Guyana has with several counterpart Law Enforcement Agencies in Caricom, North America and beyond.
Hawke said these facilities have been invoked and used reciprocally over the years. “In the circumstances, each and every allegation of unconstitutionality, unlawfulness and illegality made in your letter is hereby strenuously deny,” Hawke said.
Hawke added too that the Guyana Police Force was instructed that David was allegedly wanted in Suriname for the trafficking in narcotics. “He was arrested on the 18th June 2025 by Dillon Pyle, Detective Corporal # 2219, who is stationed at the Alberttown Police Station. At the time of his arrest Mr. David was informed that he was being arrested for the alleged Trafficking of Narcotics. He was initially taken to the office of the Regional Detective Officer 4A, Detective Senior Superintendent C. Singh and was subsequently transported to the Ruimveldt Police Station,” the police said.
Raymond David
According to the police, while at Superintendent Singh’s office, at Ruimveldt Police Station in the presence of both Mr. Singh and Detective Deputy Superintendent of Police Eon Alonzo, Mr. David was again informed that he is wanted in Suriname for the alleged trafficking of narcotics. “He was also informed of his rights to retain and instruct an Attorney-at-Law of his choice. In response Mr. David stated that he was willing to relinquish his rights in Guyana. He also indicated that he was aware of being wanted in Suriname and, given that his wife operates his business in Suriname, he would prefer not to go through the formal “wherever law ends, tyranny begins…” extradition process. Instead, he expressed a willingness to return to Suriname to address the matter there.”
Police said however, Mr. David refused to have this decision recorded in writing or through audio-visual means. “Following this, Mr. Singh instructed Mr. Alonzo to escort Mr. David on the 19th June 2025 to the Guyana/ Suriname Ferry, where he was to be handed over to Agent Dwarka Prewen, ID # 020988M, of the Suriname Police Corps.
“Please be informed that the Guyana Police Force has mutual assistance cooperation arrangement in criminal matters with several counterpart Law Enforcement Agencies in Caricom, North America and beyond which provide for the process embarked upon by the Guyana Police Force in the instant case. These facilities have been invoked and used reciprocally over the years. In the circumstances, each and every allegation of unconstitutionality, unlawfulness and illegality made in your letter is hereby strenuously deny,” Hawke said.
Wanted in Suriname
Todd told the media on Thursday that on June 18, 2025, David was requested to go to the Brickdam Police Station, Georgetown. He said during a live broadcast from what appeared to be a prison facility, David stated that he was informed by police that he was wanted for murder in Suriname. He further alleged that officers had searched his home and restaurant, seizing his personal documents. After being held in custody for a while, he was transported by boat to Springlands, Corentyne where he was handed over to Surinamese authorities. He is currently detained at the Santa Boma Detention Center in Suriname.
Todd has since taken up David’s case, asserting that the man was never the subject of any formal investigation or charges in Suriname. Dr. Todd revealed that the Surinamese legal team retained by David had verified that at no point was he under investigation for murder. As such, Todd declared, “We are dealing with what was supposed to be an extradition, but because of the manner in which it was done, we are clearly faced with a situation which it was kidnapping.”
Attorney Eden Corbin, also speaking on the matter, explained the legal framework surrounding extradition. According to Corbin, extradition can only be legally pursued if the individual is accused or convicted of a serious offense punishable by at least two years in prison. Furthermore, an extradition request must be formally submitted through the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs, and must be accompanied by official documents such as an arrest warrant, a certificate of conviction (if applicable), and supporting legal arguments. The process must then pass through the magistrate’s court before any surrender order is signed by the relevant authorities.
Dr. Todd emphasised that none of these procedures was followed in David’s case. “In this case, there was no such document or requests. All that happened is police officers usurped, using their powers, allowed a Guyanese citizen to be arrested in his country for an alleged crime which is not on the record in Suriname,” he explained. Todd explained that his legal team contacted multiple legal and investigative bodies in Suriname, all of whom confirmed that there were no allegations or investigations involving David. “Every document, every station, every investigative arm in Suriname had been contacted through the legal team, and it was confirmed that there was never any such allegation of Raymond David being involved in a murder,“ he said.
Todd further questioned the basis for David’s arrest and transfer. “There are two worrying things that happened here. One, the offense in which Raymond David was arrested for in Guyana does not exist at all. So, that request could never have come from the Surinamese authorities. The second thing that is of great worry here is that, unheard of, I don’t know if this has been happening before, but it has now come to our attention… that there is no law which permits, without all of that procedure outlined by Mr. Corbin, for the Surinamese authorities, in this case the police, to enter our borders and to exercise that lawful authority of arrest in this jurisdiction without the permission or without any law which governs and protects them. So, outright we are seeing here that these operations in relation to the movement of citizens of Guyana, Guyana to Suriname, was without the protection of the law of a Guyanese citizen from Guyana to another country,” He said .
Dr. Todd also revealed that when David was transported from the Ruimveldt Police Station to Springlands, the identities of the officers involved were concealed. “We are a bit worried that the police hid their faces. So, we don’t know what vehicle he was transported in from Rumveldt to Springland, and the identity of the police or the persons who took him there remains unknown,” Dr. Todd explained.
Moving forward, the legal team is taking several actions. Attorney Dexter Smartt announced that a constitutional application would be filed, seeking declarations that David’s arrest, detention, and removal were unlawful and violated his fundamental rights under Guyanese law, including the Fiscal Offenders Act. The team will also seek a writ of mandamus compelling the Government of Guyana to pursue all diplomatic channels to secure David’s immediate return. Additionally, they intend to claim punitive and exemplary damages for the violation of David’s rights.
The lawsuit will target the State, the Minister of Home Affairs, the Commissioner of Police, and the officers involved in the transfer. Letters requesting information have already been sent to relevant authorities, and the application was scheduled to be filed and served Today.
David’s family has also spoken out. His older sister, Agisha Alder, expressed profound distress over the incident. “This entire situation has hit our family unexpected, because my brother is a very law abiding citizen and if he wasn’t a law-abiding citizen, he was never going to go willingly with the officers when they came here to his business place and said they wanted to talk to him. So, our family is feeling violated in many ways because we are born Guyanese,” she said . Alder further described the ordeal as deeply traumatic and degrading for her brother and their family, stating, “And the way they treated my brother, the way they treated him is like, it’s worse than…I don’t even have words. It is impacting my family in a serious way,” she said.
Raymond David, born in Guyana, later moved to Suriname with his family but never acquired citizenship there, Dr. Todd confirmed. His legal team remains in contact with Surinamese authorities to monitor his wellbeing as they continue to pursue legal action for what they describe as a serious breach of both national law.
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I’m confused and unsure about what to believe. If he wasn’t wanted in Suriname, why is he still in custody? Additionally, did he waive his rights to extradition or not? There are many unanswered questions. This time, I’m more inclined to believe the state; I think the Guyanese authorities are telling the truth.