UPDATE GUYANA-Opposition Leader granted three-quarter million dollar bail.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed was granted GUY$750,000 (One Guyana dollar = US$ 0.004) bail on Friday after he appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on gun-related charges.

Mohamed and two of his employees, who were also granted bail of GUY$750,000 each, have been jointly charged with the illegal possession of one .32 pistol, illegal possession of three matching rounds, and attempting to pervert the course of justice by discharging a firearm in the vicinity of the head of Police Special Branch, Senior Superintendent Prem Narine.

Each offense carries bail of GUY$250,000, and the court has set several bail conditions, including that the accused men stay away from the area where Narine lives. They will return to court on November 6 this year.

The charges against the three followed what police said was a shooting incident outside Narine’s on Monday night.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions advised on Thursday night that Mohamed, Mario Mohammed and Eugene Thorne be charged jointly following their arrest, even as Mohamed, through his attorney, has denied all allegations.

Police said Narine was at his residence when he reported that he observed a black Toyota Allion motor car bearing registration number PXX 5300 traveling slowly along Barr Street.

“Investigations further revealed that as the vehicle approached his residence on the second occasion, Senior Superintendent Narine heard what appeared to be a gunshot. He took cover and discharged several rounds from his service firearm in the direction of the vehicle, which subsequently drove away.”

The police said they later intercepted the motor car with three occupants, who were identified as accused men, and arrested and escorted them to the Kitty Police Station.

But during the brief court hearing, the defense attorneys challenged the prosecution’s case, arguing that the firearm was discovered under disputed circumstances and that there were questions about how the vehicle was searched and handled before the weapon was reportedly found.
They told the court that the vehicle was initially searched at the scene and nothing was found, arguing further that the firearm was discovered during a subsequent search at the police station, after officers had taken control of the vehicle.

The prosecution opposed the application, arguing that the charges were serious and that the case involved issues requiring further investigation. The prosecutor maintained that the evidence and the circumstances surrounding the incident supported the charges at this stage, while stressing that the defense’s arguments about the evidence would have to be tested as the matter progressed.

The Guyana government said the United States Department of Justice is being kept informed of what it described as “these startling developments,” after it indicated that it had noted “with deep concern, the attempt to pervert the facts surrounding the serious incident that occurred” earlier this week involving Mohamed.

“No amount of obfuscation, concoction or Facebook trolling will be allowed to contradict the factually verifiable narrative and the far-reaching legal implications that ensue. The law must be allowed to take its course,” the government said in a statement.

Mohamed and his businessman father, Nazar Mohamed, were indicted in the United States in October 2025 on charges including wire/mail fraud, money laundering, and bribery linked to a US$50 million gold smuggling and tax evasion scheme.

They are challenging the country’s extradition treaty and the constitutionality of the Fugitive Offenders Act.

Earlier this week, the Court of Appeal said it is reserving its ruling in the constitutional challenge brought by the Mohameds.