GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Oct 30, CMC -A High Court judge has ordered the “immediate” release of the mother of a police officer, both of whom had been who had been detained in connection with the leak of a national surveillance video recording of a shooting incident earlier this month in which the Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed has been charged.
Earlier this week, the GPF said that the police constable had been arrested amid allegations that he had discreetly downloaded surveillance video footage related to the shooting incident involving Senior Superintendent Prem Narine and Mohamed.
Mohamed, along with two of his workers, have since been placed on GUY$750,000 (One GUY=US$0.004 cents) bail on gun and ammunition possession charges and attempting to pervert the course of justice by discharging a firearmn as a result of the incident on October 12.
Mohamed had this week played a 23-minute video as he repeated claims of an alleged “failed assassination attempt of the Leader of the Opposition” on October 12.
Mohamed said he intends to file private criminal charges against Narine maintaining that the shooting on the night of October 12 was an assassination attempt.
ustice Christel Lambert in ordering the release of the mother found that there was no reasonable suspicion at this time to warrant the continued detention of Nikita Greene and so the “court orders that she be released forthwith from police custody.
“In the circumstances, the Court finds that the initial arrest of Ryan Greene was supported by objectively reasonable grounds for suspicion and that the subsequent information obtained during the investigation strengthened the basis for that suspicion.”
The judge sad that subject to the continued existence of lawful authority for his detention and compliance with the constitutional safeguards governing persons arrested or detained, the Court is not satisfied that the circumstances warrant an order for his immediate release.
“Accordingly, the Court declines to order Ryan Greene’s immediate release,” the judge said.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Anil Nandlall told the High Court that a policeman is being investigated for several offences.
“So you have corruption, you have interference with the administration of justice, you have witness tampering, you have common law bribery,” he told the court.
Before the judge gave her ruling, Nandlall said the mother could be culpable under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act for allegedly receiving the proceeds of crime knowingly or having reasonable grounds to know.
He said that offence carries in excess of five years in prison.
Defence attorney Dexter Todd said the detainees ought to have been told the offence for which they are held, but the Attorney General countered saying they could only be told the reason and the offence would depend on legal advice.
Justice Lambert said the lawfulness of the arrest and the continuing detention of Ms Greene because she allegedly received GY$300,000 from her son, without more, does not amount to reasonable suspicion of an offence at this time.
The judge said police commissioner Cifton Hicken and the attorney general failed to demonstrate objectively reasonable grounds for suspecting Ms Greene of having committed a criminal offence.
She said the affidavit does not establish the factual or legal basis upon which her arrest and continued detention were justified.
In the circumstances, Justice Lambert found that Nikita Greene’s detention has not been justified under Article 139(1)(e) of the Constitution.”
“The Court is mindful of the fundamental purpose of the writ of habeas corpus as a safeguard against unlawful deprivation of liberty. Where the detaining authority fails to establish a lawful justification for detention, the Court must give effect to the constitutional protection of personal liberty,” she added.
Justice Lambert said the constable’s arrest did not occur in a “vacuum” but was linked to public disclosure of surveillance footage originating from the police command centre and the police maintained that the footage had been accessed, removed and disseminated without the requisite authorisation.
CMC/gtir/2026