Police witness challenged on contradictory statement

Sep 04, 2026 News

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…as Mohameds’ extradition proceedings resume 

(Kaieteur News) – The extradition committal proceedings involving businessman Nazar Mohamed and his son, Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, erupted into exchanges at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court after a lead police witness Prem Narine said a major contradiction in his official sworn statement was merely a “typographical error.”

Senior Superintendent of Police Prem Narine, Head of the Guyana Police Force’s Special Branch, found himself under pressure during cross-examination by defense attorney Siand Dhurjon over discrepancies regarding how critical extradition documents were handled.

“How Do You Slip and Type a Whole Paragraph?”

The courtroom came alive when Dhurjon confronted Narine over his sworn statement from November 7, 2025. In that statement, written just seven days after the events in question, Narine said he received the Authority to Proceed (ATP) directly from the Minister of Home Affairs and the request for extradition from the Minister of Foreign Affairs on October 31, 2025.

However, under oath in court, Narine testified that on October 1, 2025, he received the documents on the ground floor of the Attorney General’s Chambers from an unidentified female staff member whose exact role as clerk or secretary he could not verify, and took them straight to the court that morning. When asked whether he received any other documents that morning relating to Azruddin and Nazar Mohamed, he said no, further confirming he received the arrest warrants that day.

When Dhurjon highlighted that his original statement made no mention of the AG’s office, its location, or receiving materials from a staff member, Narine dismissed the discrepancy as a typographical error. “What do you mean typographical error? How do you slip and type a whole paragraph?” Dhurjon queried. Narine conceded that as an investigating officer, a statement is of paramount importance following an investigation. He admitted he never saw the Ministers physically sign the documents, explaining that he was missing a sentence in his statement and received the signed ATP and Section 6 certificate from the lady at the AG office.

Defense fails to freeze trial pending appeal

The testimony came amidst procedural sparring before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman. Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde, representing the Mohameds alongside Dhurjon and attorney Damien Da Silva, petitioned the court to pause proceedings pending the outcome of a constitutional appeal currently before the Guyana Court of Appeal. Forde argued that proceeding with remaining cross-examinations could create a crisis of clarity and potentially prejudice the defense if higher courts alter legal interpretations. He noted the case had previously been halted in March when the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) granted an interim stay before subsequently dismissing the appeal and discharging the stay. Lead prosecutor Jamaican King’s Counsel Terrence Williams, appearing alongside attorneys Ramdhani, Herbert McKenzie, and Celine Deidrick, resisted the application, arguing the defense was attempting to re-argue a stay already rejected by higher courts. Chief Magistrate Latchman denied the freeze, ordering the hearing to proceed in accordance with higher court directives, which allow committal hearings to continue while explicitly barring her from making a final determination until the constitutional appeal resolves. However, Latchman deferred further cross-examination of Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sharon Roopchand-Edwards, excusing her after Forde successfully argued planned questioning directly covered treaty validity issues currently subject to the appellate court challenge.

Arrest Details

With Roopchand-Edwards temporarily excused, prosecutors shifted their focus to formally introducing their central evidentiary bundle, designated as Exhibit C. The central bundle introduced by the state comprises an Authority to Proceed issued and signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd, a Section 6 Certificate under the Fugitive Offenders Act executed by Minister Todd, and authenticated records executed by the Secretary of State of the United States, including supporting records bearing signatures from former US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Forde mounted fierce objections, citing non-original copies, missing statutory certifications, and a lack of distinct chain-of-custody markings. Latchman overruled the objections, admitting Exhibit C, Exhibit K (the Section 6 Certificate alongside the 1931 Extradition Treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States), Exhibits K1 to K5, and Exhibits B1 to B61, which included passport documentation marked as Exhibit B9 for Nazar Mohamed. Narine subsequently detailed executing the arrest warrant against Azruddin Mohamed at the Brickdam Police Station for wire fraud and related financial offenses. Narine noted that Assistant Superintendent Ramlochan facilitated requests made by Mohamed for his attorney by using his personal cell phone to call Dhurjon, after which Azruddin Mohamed, clad in a light blue shirt, was processed and remanded into custody.

U.S. Indictment and allegations

The United States is seeking the surrender of Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed to face an 11-count indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, where they jointly face allegations including conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.

According to U.S. prosecutors, the charges stem from an alleged years-long scheme in which large quantities of gold were exported from Guyana using false customs declarations and undervalued invoices, allowing more than US$50 million in taxes and customs duties to be evaded. Investigators also allege that reused government export seals were used to facilitate shipments, one of which, valued at approximately US$5.3 million, was intercepted at Miami International Airport. The multi-agency investigation involved years of cooperation between Guyanese and American law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA, and Department of Homeland Security. These allegations underpin sanctions imposed in June 2024 by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) against the Mohameds and several of their associated companies, allegations the father and son have repeatedly denied.

Cross-examination of SSP Prem Narine resumes today at 9:00 AM.

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• contradictory statement, extradition, Police witness

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