Five more come forward to refute Top Cop info sent to GECOM

Jun 03, 2020 News

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– Police allege persons returned illegally

By Kemol King

After three persons came forward exposing information sent by the Immigration Department to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) as false, five more have come forward to refute the information. This now amounts to eight persons the Immigration Department falsely claimed left the country and never returned.

The Guyana Police Force, with responsibility for the Immigration Department, responded to Kaieteur News yesterday, insinuating that the reason its information was determined to be false may be because the individuals who came forward, returned to Guyana illegally.
The GPF release, from Spokesperson Jairam Ramlakhan states, “The Administration of the Force iterates that Migration Data produce by the Immigration Department of the Guyana Police Force is generated through its Record system which includes an Electronic Border Management System.
This system however, does not record persons who travelled illegally.
Hence, the Guyana Police Force stands by the information provided to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) recently and totally refutes the article mentioned.”
The allegation being levelled by the Police Force now extends to eight persons, in total. However, such an allegation against some of these individuals, has already proven to be false, as they have shown this newspaper photos of their passports to prove, in cases when they travelled, that they did legally return.
False information
In a previous report, this newspaper reported that Amos Bhola, Andreanna Persaud and an anonymous individual proved that the Immigration Department falsely claimed they left the country before Election Day and did not return. On the list of 172 names, Bhola and Persaud were listed as #8 and #9 respectively.
On that first list, Kaieteur News has verified that five more persons were also victim to the false claims made by the Coalition, and the false information supplied, in turn, by the Immigration Department to the Chair of GECOM.

Nishani Anesa Bissessar is #50 on the list. Born on November 11, 1989, the Immigration Department claimed that she left the country on December 4, 2015 and did not return on/before Election Day. Kaieteur News has seen a sworn affidavit of existence and presence signed by Bissessar, in the presence of Justice of Peace and Commissioner of Oaths, Neendkumar, in the country of Demerara. In this affidavit, Bissessar swears that she, a duly registered elector for the 2020 Elections presented herself to Vergenoegen Nursery School, and used her ID card to cast her vote. Bissessar also swore that she rejects any contention that she was not in the jurisdiction on Election Day, or that she did not vote for herself, as untrue.
Kaieteur News yesterday spoke to a teacher who lives on the West Coast of Demerara, by the name of Kaminie Singh. The 30-year-old woman reached out to this newspaper after learning that her name was listed at #82 on the first report from the Immigration Department. Singh provided photos of her identification card, as well as of her current and previous passport, explaining that though she had lived in the US for four years while away at university, she returned in 2011. She explained that she had also been to the US in 2014 for a brief vacation of a few weeks and came back in that very year. Her current passport, renewed in 2017, shows that she has not travelled since. She told Kaieteur News that the news of her being claimed as out of the jurisdiction was very discouraging, since she is being falsely implicated in matters of electoral fraud. Singh remembers casting her vote at about 3:15pm on Election Day, and refutes any claim otherwise.
Latoya Wills, a media operative, is #138 on the list. Born on October 8, 1986, the Immigration Department claimed that she left Guyana on April 20, 2019 and did not return. Photographs of Wills with her ID and press badge were circulated online. Wills reportedly confirmed that she did not travel anywhere and was around to vote on Election Day.

Karishma Raghunandan is #143 on the list. Born on March 24, 1996, the Immigration Department claimed that she left Guyana on April 18, 2019 and did not return on/before Election Day. Raghunandan said that she was in Guyana on Election Day and cast her vote at Covent Garden Primary School.
Sydney Douglas Jones is #145 on the list. Born on December 5, 1945, the Immigration Department claimed that he left Guyana on April 7, 2016 and did not return on/before Election Day. Jones said that he was in Guyana on Election Day and that he cast his vote at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
Six persons refute second list from Coalition
In addition to the first list which has now been proven to have false claims, APNU+AFC Campaign Co-Chair Joseph Harmon sent a second list to the GECOM Chair, of 307 names, which the party is also claiming were out of the jurisdiction on Election Day. Kaieteur News is in possession of that list, and six persons have already come forward to say that the claims made about them are false.
Videos of five of the persons verifying their identities and explaining that they cast votes on March 2 last have been circulating online since yesterday, gathered by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
Hemant Narine Shilchand, #301on the second list, said that he voted at Champagne Primary School, right next door to his home. “I did not leave Guyana for the past 15 years,” Shilchand stated.
Christopher Mohabir, #302 on the second list, said that he voted at Cotton Tree Nursery School, and added “I never left the country.”
Loretta Ramcharran, #305 on the second list, said that she voted at Cotton Tree Nursery School. She said publicly “I’m living in Guyana, I did not go anywhere.”
Puran Ramoo, #306 on the second list, said that he voted at Cotton Tree Nursery School. He added “I never leave this country to go anywhere.”
Kevin Marvin Vabrook, #309 on the second list, said that he voted at Cotton Tree Primary School, and added “I never went out the country.”
The sixth person, a young man living on the East Bank of Demerara, spoke to Kaieteur News yesterday and opted to remain anonymous. He said that he voted on Election Day, and that no one voted for him.

The entire list of 310 names has been published in today’s edition of Kaieteur News. If anyone finds their name or that of someone they know on this list, they are advised to make contact with this newspaper.
The previous list of 172 names, which was forwarded to GECOM by the Police Commissioner, can be found in the June 2, 2020 edition of Kaieteur News.
Coalition makes false claim about lawyer who observed elections
When ballot box #4497 was being recounted yesterday, APNU+AFC agent Seivewright Benjamin falsely claimed that serial number 157 of Attorney-at-Law Devindra Kissoon, was not in the jurisdiction on Election Day. Not only was Kissoon in the country on Election Day, he observed the March 2 elections with the AmCham Observer Mission. The false claim was pointed out on social media by Commissioner Sase Gunraj.
(Additional reporting by Mikaila Prince and Shikema Dey)

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