Prosecutor Glenn Hanoman on Friday asked Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman to remand Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, citing the seriousness of an ongoing investigation into his presence near President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s private residence at Leonora.
Hanoman argued that Mohamed’s detention was necessary for the preservation of public order, pointing to the possibility that the investigation could uncover offences as serious as treason, an attempted coup or even an assassination plot.
The application was made during the ongoing extradition hearing before Chief Magistrate Latchman, who is presiding over the proceedings against Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed.
Azruddin Mohamed was recently questioned by police after a vehicle in which he was travelling was intercepted near the President’s residence.
A drone was reportedly found in the vehicle, although Mohamed has denied owning or operating it.
The prosecution is now asking the court to consider the new investigation in determining whether Mohamed should remain on bail.
Mohamed was among three men taken in for questioning after police intercepted a vehicle carrying a drone and four cellphones near President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s private residence in Leonora, West Coast Demerara, on Thursday evening.
Police said the investigation began after reports that occupants of a black Toyota Land Cruiser were operating a drone in the area.
Ranks stopped the vehicle along the Windsor Forest Public Road and found a DJI drone in the trunk along with the phones.
The US-indicted Mohamed, 39, leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, was taken to the Leonora Police Station along with driver Eugene Thorne, 35, and technician Dwayne Ross, 25.
He denied owning the drone and was released on self-bail.
Ross told police the device was his, though he acknowledged his operator’s licence had expired in 2023.
In a separate incident nearby, another patrol intercepted a second vehicle and questioned its driver, 20-year-old Mario Mohamed.
Follow-up searches of the men’s homes turned up a second drone at Ross’s residence. Police say the investigation is ongoing.
