National Assembly Speaker States Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed Did Not Seek Virtual Participation Permission

According to the Guyana Times, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, clarified that the United States-sanctioned Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, who is currently on remand for a criminal charge, did not seek permission to participate virtually in Wednesday’s National Assembly sitting. Nadir explained that any Member of Parliament (MP) intending to participate remotely must formally request permission from the Speaker beforehand. For Wednesday’s session, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Gail Teixeira was the sole MP who submitted a request to participate virtually and adhered to the necessary procedure.

Addressing the National Assembly regarding virtual participation, the Speaker noted that individuals wishing to join online must seek the Speaker's consent, stating that he received no such indication from any member apart from the Honourable Member Gail Teixeira, and added that people simply cannot sign in online. The Speaker mentioned that there was an issue with various names signing in online without authorization on that day.

This clarification from the Speaker comes amidst reports suggesting that Mohamed was prevented from joining the parliamentary proceedings remotely from Lusignan Prison, where he is being held on remand. Mohamed’s sister, Hana Mohamed, asserted on Wednesday that prison officials were ready to enable his virtual involvement but later alleged that the government had obstructed his participation in the sitting. One local media outlet reported that Mohamed’s legal representatives had stated that the Guyana Prison Service had denied a request for him to participate virtually. However, Director of Prisons Nicklon Elliott subsequently clarified that no such request had been made to him.

Mohamed was remanded to Lusignan Prison by Magistrate Abigail Gibbs after facing charges related to a cybercrime case involving the unauthorized release of surveillance footage from the GPF’s Safe Country surveillance system. In that case, Mohamed and 20-year-old Police Constable Ryan Greene were jointly charged concerning the alleged unauthorized disclosure of electronic data pertaining to national security. The prosecution alleged that Greene obtained footage of the October 12 shooting incident involving Mohamed and provided it to him in exchange for $800,000. Furthermore, another police rank, Constable Ashton Chappelle, was subsequently charged in connection with the alleged unauthorized disclosure of the footage and was also remanded to prison.