The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions today warned about distortions from new video footage released of the October 12 shooting in Kitty that led to the incarceration of the Opposition Leader and has warned about the prejudicing of a fair trial and obstruction of justice.
In a rare statement on a holiday, the DPP said the footage in question had been disclosed in court on Friday to counsel of the Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed. The DPP said that only a portion of the footage has been shown in a manner to sway the narrative.
The statement also said that the footage has come from the camera system of the home of one of the main witnesses for the prosecution who submitted it in support of a written statement.
The release of the footage yesterday sparked controversy and calls for the conduct of the Head of the Police Special Branch, Prem Narine to be investigated.
The statement by the DPP’s Chambers follows:
DPP’S CHAMBERS PRESS STATEMENT – Distortion of Evidence
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has observed the wanton dissemination of a particular video footage on social media and the highly prejudicial commentary ongoing about it. As a result, we are forced to state the following:
1. This video footage forms part of the prosecution’s case in certain criminal proceedings pending at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court and was disclosed to Defence Counsel in court on Friday the 06th day of November 2026.
2. That this video footage is merely one link in an evidential chain that forms part of the prosecution’s case and therefore, to extract it in abstract, that is to say, without regard to other evidence in the file, including the statements from witnesses, that relates specifically to that footage, and subject it to public commentary, will not only prejudice a fair trial but may amount to obstructing the course of justice.
3. Worse yet, in many of the publications on social media, only a small excerpt of the said extracted video footage, is being circulated, compounding the perversion of the evidence in the said ongoing criminal case.
4. This video footage comes from the camera system of the home of one of the main witnesses for the prosecution who submitted it in support of a written statement given to the police.
In the circumstances, as Ministers of Justice, we appeal to users of the social media, to immediately cease and desist circulating and distorting partial evidence in an ongoing criminal case. While we respect people’s constitutional right to comment on important matters, evidence is a matter for the determination of the court.
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