A BUILDING and staff have already been procured and are in place as preparations move ahead for the November 3 start of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the events surrounding the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections.

The CoI office has been set up at 95 Middle Street, Georgetown and all members of the public looking to make contributions to the process will be afforded the opportunity to do so. A hotline will be set up for them to call in and be scheduled to present before the Commission.

This was explained by the Presidential CoI Administrator, Colonel Ronald Hercules and Secretary, Javed Shadick, during a recent sit down with the Department of Public Information (DPI).
“We’re totally set. All security arrangements are in place. You have a very safe environment for the inquiry. We have already identified the building, it’s already up and running waiting the witnesses to give evidence to the CoI,” Hercules shared.

Shedding light on how witnesses can come forward to present statements and evidence to the inquiry, Shadick reminded that the Commission is opened to any member of the public who wants to make a contribution. In addition to calling in, persons would also be able to drop by at the Commission’s office and indicate that they would like to make a presentation.

“What we’ve done is identify numbers for persons to call in. They’re required to call in, we will take their information and then we’ll get back to them for how they would actually be able to come forward. At the office, persons are already present so they can visit the office. The witnesses basically will have to give the information to the commissioners,” Shadick explained.

Last month the three commissioners set to preside over the CoI were sworn in. Those commissioners are Justice of Appeal (ret’d) Stanley John, who is also Chairman of the CoI; former Attorney-General, High Court Judge and acting Justice of Appeal in the Eastern Caribbean, Senior Counsel, Godfrey P. Smith; and former Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Carl Singh.

The commission’s terms of reference are to inquire into and report upon the relevant circumstances and events leading up to and procedures following the General and Regional Elections in Guyana on March 2, 2020.
The commission will have seven months to complete its inquiry, and is set to determine what attempts were made to obstruct, frustrate and prevent the counting and tabulation of votes and the declaration, and the public declaration of the results by the Returning Officer for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Clairmont Mingo and other elections officers of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

The commission of inquiry is also expected to examine the conduct of the Chief Elections Officer, other elections officers, and other persons as it relates to the execution of the duties of the CEO at the time.
The commissioners will make recommendations as deemed fit and necessary to permit the Guyana Elections Commission to discharge its statutory functions as set out in the Representation of the People Act.