March 4 set for trial into high-profile elections fraud case

Come March 4, 2024, the trial into the high-profile elections fraud case is expected to commence before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Those accused include former APNU+AFC government minister, Volda Lawrence; former GECOM Returning Officer for District Four, Clairmont Mingo; former GECOM Deputy Chief Election Officer, Roxanne Myers; APNU+AFC’s Chief Scrutineer, Carol Smith Joseph and former GECOM Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, among others.

During a Case Management Conference (CMC), the defendants were served with statements, after which Magistrate Daly scheduled dates for the “taking of evidence” into the case which has been stalled for years.

Hearing will commence from March 4-8 and in the first week of April and May.

At the last hearing in December, the State provided flash drives containing certified copies of Statements of Poll (SOPs) and Statements of Recount (SORs), along with video interviews, as part of the evidence.

After Magistrate Daly requested more organised evidence for easier access, attorney Darshan Ramdhani, KC, who is the special prosecutor in the case, said this will streamline the court proceedings.

It is alleged that the defendants conspired during the March 2, 2020, general and regional elections to defraud the electors of Guyana by declaring a false account of votes cast.

Earlier his month, the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, SC, described the slow progression of the high-profile elections fraud cases as a “great travesty” for Guyana, more so since the next General and Regional Elections are just about a year away.

“Thirty odd charges (are) pending in the Magistrates’ Court of this country involving some of the very players who misconducted themselves and abused their powers during that electoral process.

“After three years… the trial of those charges have not yet begun,” the AG had said.