After more than a year of calls for three senior functionaries at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), accused of electoral fraud, to be sent home, a Tuesday meeting of the Commission ended with the GECOM Chairman, Justice (retired) Claudette Singh taking a decision to have them give up access to their offices and proceed on vacation leave.
The News Room understands that the embattled GECOM officials – Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield; his Deputy, Roxanne Myers and District #4 Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo – are to do the handing over of all state properties by Friday; they will, however, still receive a monthly salary, until GECOM concludes its investigations and make a decision on their further employment with the entity.
According to government nominated Commissioner, Bibi Shadick, who along with her two other colleagues had moved the motions for their dismissal, Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo will have to hand over all state property including their vehicles.
“They will not come back, trust me on that,” she told the News Room during a telephone interview on Tuesday.
But a statement from GECOM noted that the trio will proceed on vacation leave effective Monday, June 28, 2021.
The CEO will proceed on 42 days annual leave, the DCEO will be on 120 days leave and Mingo will
be on 35 days leave. The Commission says it intends to conclude the ongoing discussions for their dismissal within the shortest possible time.
“They have to hand over all documents and they can no longer come back and go back… this will include vehicles and everything else. All the trappings of office they have to hand over to three people who have been identified,” Shadick explained.
She said the substantial debate on the motion to have them dismissed has not concluded with the three Opposition nominated Commissioners calling for an independent tribunal.
“The Chairman says this seems like it will take long and she decided to send them on annual leave,” she added.
While noting that she was against the call for an independent tribunal, Shadick said the situation has become a trial for the GECOM Chairman.
Persons have long called for the removal of Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo with the government indicating that it does not intend to go to another election with them there.
The three are currently facing several charges in local courts related to electoral fraud.
