Elections fraud trial: Nandlall calls for “firm direction” on way forward

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall is calling for a “firm direction” on the way forward in the elections fraud trial, as the date for the continuation of the matter approaches.

Nine people including former Government Ministers and Opposition members along with former employees of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) are before the court for electoral fraud. The charges emanated from the 2020 General and Regional Elections which lasted for five months due to efforts to derail the results of the elections.

The trial commenced on July 29, and was set to run from then to September 13 before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly. However, the Magistrate proceeded on a prolonged period of sick leave, resulting in the case being pushed to October 31. However, on this date, the public holiday Deepavali is set to be observed, necessitating the court to once again reschedule the sitting which may be the following day – November 1, 2024.

At that hearing, AG Nandlall declared that there should be no more excuses but a definitive way forward.

“We simply can’t continue in this manner…it is hoped that the prosecutors and the defence will be informed definitively on the direction that the cases will go. If it is that the magistrate is unable to do the cases for health or other reasons, we ought not to hear that on the (next court date) without hearing more.”

“We need to hear that if that is the position and a firm direction settled in terms of how the cases will proceed with time being of the essence, so the early and determination of the cases can be anticipated,” the AG stated.

According to Nandlall, the judiciary needs to be held accountable over its handling of this matter. “The public deserves no less. The judiciary is a public institution that must be held accountable for the conduct of its business” he noted.

Facing charges are former Returning Officer for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo; former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield; his former Deputy, Roxanne Myers; former People’s National Congress/ Reform (PNCR) Chairperson Volda Lawrence; PNCR activist Carol Smith-Joseph; and GECOM employees Sheffern February, Enrique Livan, Michelle Miller and Denise Babb-Cummings.