The country’s Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield has been slapped with an additional private criminal charge of fraud.
Lowenfield is already facing two previous criminal charges – misconduct in office and breach of the public’s trust by providing results of the March 2 elections which he knows to be false.
The third fraud charged was filed by Desmond Morian, a member of the Opposition People’s Progressive Party.
In court documents seen by the News Room, it is alleged that between March 5, 2020, and June 23, 2020, Lowenfield conspired with person (s) unknown to commit a common law Fraud, “to wit, by presenting to the Guyana Elections Commission, the tables attached to his Elections Report dated 14th day of March 2020, accurately reflected the true results of the said election, in order to materially alter the results of the said election, with intent to defraud, knowing the tabulation to be false.”
Lowenfield came under scrutiny for preparing his elections report on March 5 which shows a victory for the incumbent APNU+AFC Coalition based on fraudulent and inflated figures provided by Clairmont Mingo, the Returning Officer for Guyana’s largest voting district- Region 4.
The national recount proved that Mingo inflated votes in favour of the Coalition and it was the PPP that actually won the March 2 elections by over 15,000 votes.
The PPP has maintained that Lowenfield knew the true winner the elections since he would have in his possession GECOM’s Statements of Poll (SOPs).
As a result of Mingo’s fraud, GECOM embarked on the national vote recount following which Lowenfield in his summary provided a table which revealed the totals for the ten electoral districts which were signed off by GECOM’s own staff as being valid; when added up, Lowenfield’s report shows the PPP winning the elections by 15, 416 votes.
Meanwhile, despite the three private criminal charges filed against Lowenfield, he has not been legally served and so he avoided a scheduled appearance before the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Friday to answer the charges.
The Court has since issued a summons for Lowenfield.
The bailiff from the court tried to serve the two initial charges on Lowenfield; these attempts were made twice at his office at the GECOM headquarters in Kingston and then at two private addresses he is connected to in South Ruimveldt, Georgetown.
However, Attorney Glenn Hanoman said the security detail attached to Lowenfield, including members of the Police Force, have not cooperated in allowing Lowenfield to be served with the charges.
When the case was raised before Magistrate Faith McGusty in Court 5 of the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court Friday morning, Hanoman asked for the Police’s help in ensuring Lowenfield is served and that he appears in court at the appointed Court date of July 24.
