Senior Superintendent Prem Narine told the court Monday that he destroyed three books containing notes from his police duties because he believed retaining them would breach an obligation he had under the United Kingdom’s Official Secrets Act.
The disclosure came during cross-examination by defence attorney Siand Dhurjon in the extradition proceedings involving Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and his father, businessman Nazar Mohamed.
Narine, head of the Guyana Police Force’s Special Branch Unit, is the prosecution’s second witness and has testified about his role in collecting the extradition documents, securing the arrest warrants and executing them against the Mohameds.
Dhurjon was questioning Narine about the destruction of the books and the information they contained. Narine said one was a personal diary containing personal notes, while the other two were used to record information arising from his duties.
He told the court that he did not only record information he considered important, statiing he would write down anything whenever he felt the need to do so.
The defence also examined Narine’s handling of information surrounding Nazar Mohamed’s arrest.
Narine had previously testified that Mohamed told him he was “waiting for us to come,” which is understood as Mohamed referring to the police coming to arrest him.
However, Narine acknowledged that the exact words were not recorded in his written statement.
Dhurjon further suggested that Narine was required under the judges’ rules to record a person’s words word for word. Narine said he did not know that he was required to do so.
Dhurjon then told Narine that the books were destroyed because he believed keeping them would violate his obligations under the Official Secrets Act.
Narine agreed.
Asked what obligation he believed he would have breached by keeping the documents, Narine said he understood that he had signed a declaration concerning the protection of national secrets.
The defence also questioned Narine about penalties under the Act, but Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman disallowed that question because the extract being relied upon did not specify the penalties.
The Official Secrets Act contains offences concerning unauthorised disclosure of certain official information.
Narine had previously testified that the three books were shredded and burned in January 2026 at the Special Branch Unit compound.
He said the material included notes relating to events surrounding the Mohameds’ October 31, 2025 arrests, including an interaction between the men and a US Marshal that was not recorded in the station diary.
The Guyana Police Force subsequently clarified that the destroyed material consisted of personal working notes Narine had used while preparing his statement.
The Guyana Police Force said the notes contained no evidential value, as the relevant information had already been incorporated into his formal statement.
The extradition proceedings are set to continue today, with Senior Superintendent Narine’s cross-examination expected to continue.
