Lawyer questions Mohamed’s detention ahead of court appearance

An attorney representing Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed last night questioned the legal basis for holding him beyond midnight ahead of his expected court appearance today, while telling supporters gathered outside the Kitty Police Station that Mohamed remained in good spirits.

Attorney-at-law Durjohn said Mohamed’s detention would reach 72 hours at midnight and contended that keeping him until court opened without bail or an order extending his detention would breach his constitutional rights.

“There has not been so much as an application for an extension of time to keep him beyond the seventy-two-hour period, let alone an order authorizing them to do so,” he said.

Mohamed and his workers, Mario Mohammed and Eugene Thorne, are expected to appear at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm without a licence, unlawful possession of ammunition without a licence, and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum confirmed the intended court appearance to Kiskadee Watch. The charges followed advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), communicated to police on Wednesday evening.

Speaking outside the station, Durjohn described Monday night’s incident as a misuse of law enforcement against a political opponent and said the defence would challenge the allegations in court.

“If Azruddin Mohammed goes down, we all go down. The country goes down,” he said, arguing that the treatment of the Opposition Leader had implications for the right to disagree with the government.

He also pointed to the absence of a charge for discharging a firearm, arguing that this undermined the account advanced against Mohamed and his workers. Although the men were initially arrested on allegations that included unlawfully discharging a firearm, the DPP did not recommend a charge for that offence.

During the protest, Hana Mohamed, Director of Political Affairs at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, called for the men’s release and the arrest of Special Branch Head, Senior Superintendent Prem Narine.

Hana, who is the sister of Mohamed, alleged that Monday night’s shooting outside Narine’s home was an assassination attempt and repeated the allegation that the firearm police said they recovered from the vehicle had been planted. She described the charges as politically motivated.

The government has advanced a sharply different account. In a statement, it alleged that gunshots came from the car carrying Mohamed and his workers while they were filming Narine’s home at Barr Street, Kitty, around midnight.

It said Narine returned fire with his service handgun, after which law enforcement officers pursued and intercepted the vehicle. An unlicensed firearm was found inside, the government stated.

Mohamed has denied that anyone in the car fired a weapon. He said they were documenting the number of police officers stationed outside Narine’s residence, which he considered an abuse of state resources.

The government’s statement highlighted Narine’s role as a critical witness in the ongoing extradition proceedings against Mohamed and his father. It cited concerns Narine had expressed under oath about his safety and that of his family following social media posts featuring their photographs.

The government said the state had a duty to protect witnesses and the justice system, and that the United States Department of Justice was being kept informed of developments.

The protest, attended by several Members of Parliament, ended at approximately 9 pm. Supporters pledged to attend court despite acknowledging that police were expected to cordon off the area.

Parliamentarian Natasha Singh, who also addressed the gathering, urged supporters to assemble at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court at 9 am today to demonstrate their support for Mohamed.