The Guyana Police Force (GPF) yesterday said that no record of evidential value was destroyed in the extradition proceedings involving businessmen Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed.
In a statement, the Force said Senior Superintendent Prem Narine, during his testimony, produced and tendered the official records required for the committal proceedings.
These, according to the GPF, included Narine’s statement detailing the actions taken in relation to the matter, the relevant Station Diary record, the executed arrest warrants and other documents required for the proceedings.
The clarification follows evidence given by Narine during cross-examination concerning records he had used in preparing his statement.
The GPF said the documents in question were personal working notes and that Narine testified they had been disposed of in the official incinerator at Special Branch in keeping with established procedures for disposing of sensitive working documents that were no longer required.
The Force further said Narine testified that the working notes contained no information of evidential value to the committal proceedings, as the relevant information had already been incorporated into his statement.
The GPF therefore rejected any suggestion that documents of evidential value relating to the proceedings had been destroyed, maintaining that the relevant official records were preserved and tendered before the court.
During Thursday’s proceedings, Narine gave evidence about the manner in which the documents were destroyed when questioned by defence attorney Siand Dhurjon.
Asked, “How did you burn it?”, Narine testified: “There’s an area in Special Branch compound, next to a furnace which is condemned but we used the area immediately next to that furnace where I placed the shredded documents along with other documents. I light them. I can’t recall if it was lighter or match. I light them on fire. I keep them under observation until I was satisfied that they are completely destroyed and useless.”
Narine had earlier confirmed that he personally shredded and burnt the records sometime in early January 2026.
He said the documents were shredded by machine before being burnt and that he remained to observe the burning until he was satisfied they had been completely destroyed.
When asked whether the documents were reduced to dust, Narine indicated that this could be said to be the case.
The issue arose during cross-examination after Narine acknowledged that an operational record existed detailing what he had done on October 31, 2025, the day Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed were arrested.
He also acknowledged that he believed he had recorded an interaction between the defendants and a US Marshal in one of the books he had previously mentioned, although he could not recall which book.
Dhurjon subsequently questioned Narine about the destruction of those books and suggested that the operational record contained information that was not included in his statement or the police record.
Narine disagreed with that suggestion.
The extradition proceedings are continuing before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman.
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