The Office of the Leader of the Opposition yesterday demanded an independent investigation into the October 12 shooting involving Azruddin Mohamed and said it would not voluntarily identify confidential sources who supplied information on matters of public interest.
In a statement yesterday, the office called for the arrest of Senior Superintendent Prem Narine and the preservation and independent forensic examination of his telephone and communication records for October 12 and 13.
The demands follow Mohamed’s release of CCTV footage which he maintains shows an assassination attempt against him, and police statements alleging that a constable accepted $800,000 to provide him with the recording.
The opposition office alleged that the footage contradicted the official police account and raised questions about a subsequent cover-up. These allegations have not been independently established.
“The Government and the Guyana Police Force have a responsibility to provide credible explanations for these discrepancies and to ensure that every aspect of the incident is subjected to independent scrutiny,” the statement said.
The office alleged that Narine fired multiple shots at a vehicle carrying Mohamed on October 12. It questioned why the incident had not been subjected to what it described as a transparent and genuinely independent investigation.
It also asked who communicated with Narine before, during and after the shooting, and whether he had given or received instructions.
The office said an examination of his communication records should establish who he contacted and whether anyone directed or assisted his actions. It further alleged that a firearm subsequently found in the vehicle had been planted.
It called for the preservation of CCTV recordings, ballistic evidence, firearm records, police communications and custody records, alongside an examination of the circumstances surrounding the firearm’s discovery.
The Minister of Home Affairs, Commissioner of Police and independent oversight authorities were urged to ensure an investigation free from political interference.
“No individual, regardless of rank, political influence, or position in Government, must be shielded from investigation or accountability,” the office stated.
The statement also defended confidential sources and called for effective implementation of the Access to Information Act and the Protected Disclosures Act 2018.
The office alleged that access to public information remained inadequate and said the whistleblower protection legislation had not been brought into force.
It argued that these shortcomings deprived citizens of tools needed to expose wrongdoing and scrutinise public officials.
“The Office makes it unequivocally clear that it will not voluntarily disclose the identities of its confidential sources or compromise individuals who have provided information concerning matters of serious public interest,” it said.
The office praised police officers, public employees and others who disclose information about alleged criminality, corruption and unlawful conduct. It said people acting lawfully and in the public interest should be protected against intimidation or punishment.
The source-protection declaration comes after police issued two statements within minutes of each other on October 26 concerning a 20-year-old constable stationed at the Force’s Command Centre.
The first said investigators were examining allegations that the rank downloaded surveillance footage without authorisation and provided it to Mohamed for $800,000.
The second asserted that the constable admitted obtaining the recording on Mohamed’s instructions and accepting payment at his Houston, East Bank Demerara residence. Police also alleged that he spent part of the money and gave the remainder to his mother.
Those alleged admissions were recounted by police. Neither statement announced charges against the constable or Mohamed.
At his press conference, Mohamed gave a different account, saying members of the Special Branch headed by Narine supplied the footage because they disagreed with the incident.
Police said the constable remained under arrest while detectives sought to recover the alleged payment and continued investigating several possible offences.
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