Prosecution fails to file statement in Lawrence election cases, Mingo
Division Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo.
Kaieteur News – The prosecution yesterday failed to file the statements of witnesses expected to testify against District Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo and Chairman of the National People’s Congress, Volda Lawrence, in the election fraud cases.
Yesterday the duo made another court appearance at Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. They are represented by attorneys-in-law, Nigel Hughes and Darren Wade, while the matter is being prosecuted by a team of special prosecutors, attorneys-at-law, Glenn Hanoman, George Thomas, Mark Conway, and Ganesh Hira.
Yesterday the prosecution was expected to file statements from the witnesses who are expected to testify against Lawrence and Mingo, but it failed to file the statements and the matter was adjourned until January 28, 2021.
Chairman of the National People’s Congress, Volda Lawrence.
On September 11, Mingo and Lawrence made their first appearance. They were not required to plead to the charge of conspiracy to commit fraud.
The charge stated that Mingo, having been acquired by Lawrence on or about March 5, 2020, at the Guyana Election Commission Control Center (GECOM) on High and Hadfield Streets, was consigned to the Chief Returning Officer (CEO) , Keith Lowenfield, knew the results of the election for Region Four, knowing it had been forged, with the intention of deceiving the people of Guyana.
Mingo and Lawrence were released on self-bail for that charge.
The duo is also facing a joint charge before another Magistrate at Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. That accusation alleged that on March 5, 2020, Mingo and Lawrence in Georgetown, with intent to defraud the public, they prepared a forgery of false document, that is, a report purporting to be a true statement of all the votes cast in District Four for the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections, knowing that report to be forged.
Mingo was slapped with four separate charges on August 31, 2020, alleging he misconstrued himself in public office by failing to disclose the number of votes counted during the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections. He was placed on bail $ 600,000 for those payments.
In addition, he was slapped on a charge in conjunction with A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU + AFC) activist, Carol Joseph-Smith. That accusation alleged that on March 13, 2020, they filed a forgery document purporting to be an accurate report of all the votes cast in the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections, knowing that the forged report.
Mingo was placed on $ 60,000 bail for the two joint charges and Lawrence was set on $ 30,000 bail for the joint charge he is facing. Those issues are also expected to be called on January 28, 2021.
Police announced last August that they will be conducting a comprehensive investigation into Lowenfield’s criminal behavior; Division Four Returning Officer, Mingo; and others in relation to the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections and the events that followed.
During the ongoing probe, several GECOM officers were arrested and put to court for electoral fraud charges.