Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed has been released on $100,000 station bail, while Opposition Member of Parliament Natasha Singh-Lewis was granted $200,000 bail following their detention by police after a late-night search of a private vessel at Friendship, East Bank Demerara.
The developments came hours after Mohamed, Singh-Lewis and several other members of the Opposition were at a private wharf on Tuesday night when members of the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard arrived and requested to search the vessel.
The vessel was subsequently disconnected from the wharf and towed to the Marine Wing of the Ruimveldt Police Station, where it was searched after an intense standoff between the coast guard and the Members of Parliament who repeatedly questioned the interception.
A subsequent search revealed no illegal items were aboard the vessel.
However, Mohamed was subsequently informed that the vessel was being detained over the alleged failure to produce relevant documentation. He was later told that he was under arrest pursuant to the “Maritime Act”. When Mohamed asked officers to identify the specific provision under which he was being arrested, the officer was unable to cite the provision and instead repeated that the arrest was being made under the “Maritime Act”.
Mohamed remained in police custody overnight before being released on $100,000 station bail yesterday.
Singh-Lewis was also detained following the incident and has since been released on $200,000 bail.
In an update on her Facebook page following her release, Singh-Lewis acknowledged the concerns raised by members of the public and said she intended to provide further details about the incident after getting some rest and food.
“Hey guys I have noted your concerns about what the Police has done to me. I Will be fine at some point. I just want to let you know that I was granted bail in the sum of 200,000. I will get some sleep and food and then we will discuss what really happened,” she wrote.
The circumstances surrounding the arrests and the search have already prompted concerns from the Opposition, which has questioned the legal basis for the actions taken by the authorities.
In its statement issued on Tuesday the Opposition said no formal seizure or detention notice had been provided in relation to the vessel and alleged that no specific provision of the Shipping Act had been identified as the legal basis for either the detention of the vessel or Mohamed’s arrest.
The Opposition also questioned whether the actions were part of a legitimate enforcement process or influenced by external directives or political considerations.
The incident comes against the backdrop of Mohamed’s ongoing legal proceedings and his scheduled appearance before the court yesterday.
The police have not publicly provided a detailed account of the incident or identified the specific legal provisions under which the Opposition figures were detained.
A statement issued early yesterday morning by the GPF said that further investigations into the interception of a ‘go-fast’ vessel at Friendship, East Bank Demerara, had revealed that at approximately 21:50 hrs on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, Joint Services ranks, while on patrol and acting on information received, observed the vessel proceeding along the Demerara River towards the Friendship area.
“The ranks signalled the vessel by siren to stop. However, the vessel failed to comply and sped away, prompting a pursuit before it was subsequently intercepted at a wharf at Friendship.
“During the pursuit, ranks reported observing a bag being thrown from the vessel into the Demerara River. At this stage, it has not been determined who threw the bag or what it contained.
“Efforts are ongoing to locate and recover the bag and determine its contents as part of the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“Further information will be provided as it becomes available”.
There was no further information yesterday on the bag that was supposedly thrown away.
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