Roxanne Myers in Police lockup for ‘obstructing the course of justice’- Attorney Hughes

Deputy Chief Elections Officer Roxanne Myers was arrested on Tuesday after she reportedly refused to cooperate with the Guyana Police Force which is currently investigating the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections.

“She has been arrested for obstructing the course of justice because she exercised her right to silence,” Attorney Nigel Hughes told the News Room in a telephone interview Tuesday.

According to Hughes, his client learned that she was wanted by the Police for questioning and so she voluntarily visited the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

He said “[Ms. Myers] was informed today that the Police wanted to interview her, she attended the Police station with her lawyers, when we got there we had a bit of a wait and then they questioned her. She said she wanted to exercise her right to silence and they then said they’re going to keep her in custody on the basis of obstructing the course of justice.”

Hughes told the News Room that “she has been sent to one of the lockups” but he is not sure where his client is being held.

The Guyana Police Force in August announced that it will launch a “comprehensive investigation” into allegations of criminal conduct by Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield and Returning Officer of Region Four Clairmont Mingo in relation to the March 2 elections and the events that followed.

Lowenfield and Mingo are already facing criminal charges in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court relating to fraud, misconduct in office and breach of the public’s trust by providing results of the March 2 elections known to be false.

The officials who remain, employees of GECOM, are accused of providing fraudulent results of the elections in the largest voting district –Region Four –following the close of polls, to give the APNU+AFC a victory.

This led to a delay in the declaration of the results of the election and a national vote recount before the People’s Progressive Party was declared the winner of the elections five months later.

Mingo is also before the court with Chairman of the People’s National Congress Reform –the largest party in the Coalition –Volda Lawrence on another fraud charge. Their signatures were found on one of the Region Four declarations which was found to be inflated in favour of her party.

Mingo and Lawrence’s case continues on November 16. 

As the investigation is ongoing, the Police previously questioned GECOM’s Information Technology Officer Enrique Livan who was involved in what is known as “the flash drive scandal” during the electoral process and other employees of the elections body.