THE private criminal charges filed against the Returning Officer (RO) for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Clairmont Mingo, and Chairperson of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Volda Lawrence, is expected to be called on August 24, 2020.

The charges were filed by attorney-at-law and People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) member, Charles Ramson Jr. five month ago, and was finally called on Friday, August 14, 2020, before Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
However, the matter was adjourned, since the defendants in the case were not present in court. Evidence in the case will be led by special prosecutor in the case, Glenn Hanoman.

In March, the now Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Ramson Jr, filed criminal charges, contending that Mingo and Lawrence uttered a forged document with the intent to defraud the public, contrary to section 278 of the criminal law Offences Act Chapter 8:01.

Particulars of the offence stated that Mingo, having been ‘procured’ by the accused Lawrence, on or about March 5, 2020, at Hadfield and High Streets, Georgetown, uttered to the Chief Elections Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Keith Lowenfield, a Form 24 Representation of the People Act Regional Elections Election Return, dated March 5, 2020, knowing same to be forged, with intent to defraud the people of the State of Guyana.

The charges alleged that Mingo and Minster Lawrence colluded to forge that Form 24 document. Lawrence’s signature was affixed to the said document, which had shown a win for the A Partnership for National Unity plus the Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC).

However, when the PPP/C counted from the SOPs in its possession, it showed otherwise, while the international and local observers deemed the count not credible, and eventually a recount was done which declared PPP/C the winner.