Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield was granted $450,000 bail on three criminal 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.
He appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court Friday with his lawyers Nigel Hughes and Senior Counsel Neil Boston.
Lowenfield was not required to plea to the indictable charges and was granted $150,000 bail on each charge. He is expected to appear in court again on August 14.
The charges were filed privately on June 30 by People’s Progressive Party (PPP) member Desmond Morian and Member of The New Movement, Daniel Josh Kanhai.
At the conclusion of the case on Friday morning, Morian, Kanhai and their attorney Glenn Hanoman exited the court under heavy pressure from APNU+AFC supporters who are gathered outside the court.
The three men entered their vehicle and drove off without offering any comments to the media.
Lowenfield has been evading the authorities since the charges were filed on June 30. 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 July 24.
He was finally served on Thursday at the GECOM Secretariat in Kingston, Georgetown.
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.
Look at all de money de man has for lawyers. No wonder he has a 3 car motorcade. This is a VIAR. *Very Important Alleged Rigger.