–provides detailed account of March 2020 events in response to opposition’s claims against him

THE Deputy Chief Election Officer (DCEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Aneal Giddings, has categorically denied allegations made by Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton and other political figures, which claim he acted improperly during the contentious March 2020 national elections.
In a detailed statement addressing accusations of partisanship and misconduct, Giddings described the allegations as “slanderous and libellous” and asserted that they were intended to undermine both his professional integrity and the operational arm of GECOM.
Giddings said that Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton has repeatedly accused him of being a political operative working to further the agenda of the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP). At a press conference on November 8, 2024, he said Norton accused him of being “compromised” and “unfit to be an employee at GECOM.”

He said Norton claimed that he “disappeared with GECOM’s computer hard drive in 2020 in pursuance of the PPP agenda.”
At a December 6, 2024, press conference, Giddings said that opposition Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul referred to “some story about a flash drive or some server” involving him, but conceded that “absolutely nothing to date” had been proven.
Giddings dismissed these statements as baseless and outlined the events of March 5, 2020, to counter the allegations.

During the 2020 elections, Giddings served as GECOM’s Information Technology Manager, tasked with overseeing the tabulation of Statements of Poll (SOPs) for then Chief Election Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield.
This parallel tabulation process, while not legally required, served as an internal check and balance, he stated. On March 5, 2024, a bomb threat forced the evacuation of the Ashmin’s Building, which housed several critical election operations, including the Office of the Returning Officer for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), the Tabulation Centre, and the CEO’s office.

Acting on instructions from the Guyana Police Force, Giddings said he instructed his staff to evacuate, while he and a colleague secured sensitive documents and executed server backup protocols. In his statement, Giddings recounted that then-Deputy CEO Roxanne Myers instructed him to transfer the backup data to a removable drive, contrary to standard IT protocols.

He complied with her request but decided to physically remove the server from the building to safeguard it, given the absence of a secure location inside.
“…Myers entered the facility and inquired whether the backup could be placed on removable media and handed over to her. This instruction was, in fact, a departure from best-practice, and standards outlined in our protocols, since such data is usually secured by IT personnel and deposited at a predetermined secure location. Nevertheless, I complied with this aberration,” Giddings said.

He added: “The server was transported by me out of the building, against the protests of DCEO Myers, and into the parking lot of the Ashmin’s complex where I placed it in my vehicle and proceeded to the evacuation point.”
Giddings emphasised that “at no point in time did I “disappear” with either the server or any component therefrom. He said the device was returned to the Tabulation Centre later that same day after the Guyana Fire Service had cleared the building.
Giddings said the server was transported by him out of the building, against the protests of DCEO Myers, and into the parking lot of the Ashmin’s complex, where he placed it in his vehicle and proceeded to the evacuation point since there was no other secure area in the building. According to him, multiple attempts to communicate with then CEO, Keith Lowenfield, for guidance were futile.

Giddings revealed that on March 16, 2020, he received a memorandum from Myers requesting an explanation for the “unauthorised removal” of the server.
He said he responded in detail, requesting a copy of the “election procedures” he was alleged to have breached. However, Giddings noted that he received no further communication or reprimand from GECOM’s leadership, including Lowenfield or Chairperson Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh.
“I received no return correspondence, no phone call from either Ms. Myers, Mr. Lowenfield or Justice Singh, nothing. The commission met on numerous occasions afterwards and, to my knowledge, no discussion was held with regards [sic] to this issue.
“As a matter of fact, subsequent to Order 60 of 2020, the commission through the Chief Election Officer appointed me to be the Tabulation Supervisor of the National Recount. This decision undoubtedly proved that the commission found no issue with my actions cited above,” the Deputy CEO stated.
Giddings firmly rejected claims that he is politically biased, noting: “I have not, nor will I ever, in the execution of my duties, do anything that favours any political position, in support of any political party or their agents.
“My duty is to the people of Guyana, in accordance with relevant law and commission policy directives for which I have sworn an oath. It is my hope that, in an effort to allay any concerns of the electorate or stakeholders of the elections process, this letter provides some clarity into that [sic] actually transpired on the 5th March, 2020.”