Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed has alleged that the renewed police investigation into the 2021 murder of Ricardo `Paper Shorts’ Fagundes is being used to divert public attention from allegations he has levelled against President Irfaan Ali over his farm and to target persons associated with him for political reasons.
“Do not be distracted,” he said in a public statement. “We welcome the reopening of the Fagundes murder case, but the spectacle surrounding it is nothing more than desperate attempts to divert public attention from the questions I have raised about President Irfaan’s 150-acre megafarm.”
Mohamed criticised the Guyana Police Force’s decision to issue a wanted bulletin for mechanic Satrohan `Depo’ Rajkumar in the Fagundes case, arguing that the move was unnecessary because Rajkumar operates openly from a workshop near a police station and later surrendered to investigators voluntarily. Mohamed described Rajkumar as someone he has known for more than two decades who services his vehicles and works with his racing team.
The Opposition Leader further raised concerns about the detention of a businessman known as “Troy,” claiming that his family was initially unable to determine his whereabouts because he was not permitted to contact them until after being transferred to the Kitty Police Station.
Mohamed also referred to the detention of his former employees Mark Richmond and Udoh Kanu, who were recently released on $1 million station bail as investigations continue. He queried why Richmond had been held for six days without being questioned and accused authorities of abusing police powers by detaining persons associated with him.
He further alleged that innocent people were being targeted while other individuals connected to the investigation had not been the subject of wanted bulletins. Mohamed contended that businesses and reputations were being damaged by the arrests and public notices and questioned who would compensate those affected if no evidence ultimately emerged against them.
He accused the government of directing the police investigation for political purposes and charged that public confidence in the Guyana Police Force had been eroded.
Police have said Rajkumar is wanted in connection with the murder investigation and have continued to pursue fresh leads in the case.
Fagundes was shot dead outside Palm Court on Main Street, Georgetown, on March 21, 2021, after reportedly leaving the nightclub to answer a telephone call. CCTV footage showed two gunmen emerging from a white Toyota Fielder and opening fire before fleeing. The getaway vehicle was later found burned along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.
The murder has remained unsolved. In 2022, then police sergeant Dion Bascom publicly alleged that senior police officers had covered up aspects of the investigation. Those allegations prompted the Government to seek assistance from the Regional Security System (RSS), whose review concluded that it found no evidence of corruption or a deliberate police cover-up.
The investigation has intensified in recent weeks, with police arresting several persons for questioning, issuing a wanted bulletin for Rajkumar, and continuing inquiries into one of Guyana’s highest-profile unsolved murders.
Discussion