FORMER People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) Chairperson Volda Lawrence; PNC/R activist, Carol Smith-Joseph, and four persons who were employed at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) during the 2020 general and regional elections pleaded not guilty on Monday to fresh charges in relation to defrauding Guyanese electors.

The four persons are Sherfern February, Enrique Livan, Denise Bobb-Cummings and Michelle Miller.

Former Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield, his deputy, Roxanne Myers, and former District Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo are also before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

During Monday’s hearing, the Chief Magistrate granted an application made by special attorneys-at-law Darshan Ramdhani, KC for the charges against Lawrence, Smith-Joseph, February, Livan, Bobb-Cummings and Miller to be amended.

The fresh charges read that the named persons, between March 2 and August 2, 2020, at Georgetown, conspired with Lowenfield and Mingo to defraud the electors of Guyana by declaring a false account of votes cast in the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Additionally, Miller was slapped with a separate charge which alleged that between March 3 to March 5, 2020, at the GECOM Region Four operation centre at Ashmin’s building on High and Hadfield Streets, Georgetown, she conspired with another person to defraud the people of Guyana, by not using the figures from the Statements of Polls for the purpose of ascertaining the figures to make the declaration of the results for the said District Four, thereby resulting in a false declaration being made for the said District. Miller pleaded not guilty to this charge also.

During Monday’s hearing, the Chief Magistrate also ruled for the case to remain in the Magistrates’ Court. The defendants’ attorneys had argued for the case to be heard in the High Court given the nature of the proceedings which might infringe on their client’s rights to a fair trial within a reasonable time.

Nevertheless, the Chief Magistrate noted that despite the voluminous evidence and the complexity of the case, the court has been proceeding with hearing the case “expeditiously.”

The matter was adjourned until March 13, 2023, for reports.

In August 2021, Mingo, along with Lowenfield and Myers had their employment terminated by the commission.

Lowenfield and Myers have also been charged with electoral fraud. Mingo is charged with four counts of misconduct in public office pertaining to the said elections.