Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield is expected to appear at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Friday, July 24 to face three private criminal charges after he was officially served on Thursday.
Lowenfield has been evading the authorities since the charges were filed on June 30 by People’s Progressive Party (PPP) member Desmond Morian and Member of The New Movement, Daniel Josh Kanhai.
He was initially slated to appear in court on July 3 but did not show up after the court’s bailiff was unable to serve the documents on him; as such Magistrate Faith McGusty instructed the authorities to ensure Lowenfield is served before his next court appearance on July 24.
“It is in high spirits that I, Daniel Josh Kanhai, Desmond Morian and Attorney at Law, Glenn Hanoman, Mark Conway et al announce that Mr Keith Lowenfield, the Chief Election Officer of GECOM, has been official served as of July 23rd, 2020.
“Mr Lowenfield has been evading the summons but fortunately, after careful planning and strategy, he was served at GECOM Secretariat’s office. Mr Lowenfield will be expected to be present in Court tomorrow morning, July 24th, 2020, at 9:00hrs to face the private criminal charges brought before him,” a joint statement noted Thursday.
Lowenfield is facing charges relating to fraud, misconduct in office and breach of the public’s trust by providing results of the March 2 elections which he knows to be false.
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.”
“The Accused between 5th March 2020 and 29th June 2020 while performing his duty as the Chief Elections Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission, without lawful excuse or justification, willfully misconducted himself at Georgetown…a place within the Georgetown Magisterial District by ascertaining results of the 2nd March 2020, General and Regional Elections for Guyana knowing the said results to be false, the said willful misconduct amounting to a breach of the public’s trust in the Office of the Chief Elections Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission,” the court document stated.
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.
This is like charging God with crimes. Lowenfield was Constipationally Appointed and is a level above all over Guyanese. He and He alone can decide what is a valid vote. This is what the framers of the Constitution had in mind …”In the interest of rigging, one bent man shall control all election results” Signed: Framers.