Spy Chief tells court he directed surveillance of Mohamed without higher orders

(Kaieteur News) – Head of the Guyana Police Force’s Special Branch, Prem Narine, conceded in court that he unilaterally initiated surveillance on Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed without instructions from political superiors, amidst intense cross-examination during ongoing extradition proceedings at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman.

The revelation emerged during a line of questioning by defense counsel Siand Dhurjon, who accused the intelligence chief of deploying state resources to monitor and frame Mohamed long before the official extradition request arrived from the United States.

The proceedings took a turn when defence counsel pressed Narine on whether he had caused Mohamed to be under frequent surveillance. Narine initially refused to answer, citing statutory constraints. “As a result of the secret act that I signed the declaration, I don’t think I can answer that question,” Narine stated. Defence counsel immediately challenged the refusal, asking the presiding magistrate to compel an answer on the grounds that the Official Secrets Act contains no provision shielding a witness from testifying in a judicial inquiry. Following guidance from the court, Narine admitted under oath that he had indeed caused Mohamed to be monitored.