AG appeals Myers’ $2M judgement for wrongful arrest

Dissatisfied with the ruling which paves the way for the payment of $2 million to former Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Deputy Chief Elections Officer Roxanne Myers, Attorney General Anil Nandlall has filed an appeal to the Full Court

The judgement found that Myers’ was wrongfully arrested by the Guyana Police Force in 2020 during an investigation into alleged electoral fraud.

In his appeal, which seeks to set aside Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall’s ruling, Nandlall argues that the judge erred in law by finding that there was no reasonable basis to arrest and detain Myers and that the evidence presented did not provide a reason for the arrest or detention of Myers for the offense of perverting the course of justice.

Additionally, Nandlall contends that the judge erred in law by disregarding “critical” evidence presented regarding the reasons for the arrest and detention of Myers.

Among other things, the AG argues that the judge erred in law when she found that Myers’ arrest and detention were in contravention of her rights to personal liberty and in her conclusion that Myers’ refusal to cooperate with the police could not be seen as perverting the course of justice.

As such, Nandlall is seeking orders to overturn the judge’s decision and for the respondent to pay costs in court.

The appeal was filed just hours after the judge ordered that the Guyana Police Force pay Myers $2 million in costs for wrongful arrest. The court had ordered that the costs be paid on or before September 9, 2024.

Myers is among nine persons who are currently on trial before the court for electoral fraud committed during the 2020 General and Regional Elections. That trial was halted as the presiding magistrate, Leron Daly, is currently unwell and on medical leave.