Magistrate yet to decide on mode of trial for elections fraud case

Jan 22, 2021 News

Attorney-at-law, Glenn Hanoman.

The Chairperson for the People’s National Congress, Volda Lawrence.

Kaieteur News – The Magistrate is yet to decide on the mode of trial that will be used for the elections fraud charges against: Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield; Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo and the Chairperson for the People’s National Congress, Volda Lawrence.This is according to Attorney-at-law, Glenn Hanoman, a member of the special prosecution team that consists of five attorneys.

Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo.

Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield.

Other members of the team are attorneys-at-law, Ganesh Hira, George Thomas, Mark Conway, Danielle Anthony and Donavon Rangiah.During an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), Hanoman stated, that they are still awaiting the ruling by the Magistrate on the type of trial that may be required for the election fraud matters.
Lowenfield, Mingo and Lawrence are being represented by attorneys-at-law, Nigel Hughes, Ronald Daniels and Darren Wade.Kaieteur News had reported on October 24, 2020, that Hughes had asked the court for his clients matter to be tried before a Judge and Jury in the High Court.
It is Hanoman’s belief that the defence’s request may take longer if the matters are tried summarily and disposed of in the Magistrate’s Court.
He said, “The law is that the magistrate is the person who ultimately makes that ruling about where the trial should take place and be concluded…The defence, in this case, has taken the unusual stand that they are more interested in the matter being tried by a jury. That procedure, will most likely take more than five years and it will cause substantial delays in the trial of the matter.”
According to Hanoman, the prosecutors are doing their best to have the matters tried in the Magistrate’s Court as opposed to the High Court.
The trio along with others is facing multiple electoral fraud charges. All the matters are currently being heard in the Georgetown Magistrates Court. Some of the Magistrates that are handling the electoral fraud cases are: Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus and Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty.
On January 28, 2021, Mingo, Lawrence and A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) activist, Carol Smith-Joseph, are slated to return to court for the continuation of their matters.
Some of the defendants were slapped with a number of joint and individual charges. Some of the charges are misconduct in public office, conspiracy to commit fraud, forging a document and forgery.
The Police had announced last August that they will be conducting a comprehensive investigation into the criminal conduct of Lowenfield; the Returning Officer of Region Four, 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 officials were arrested and put before the court for electoral fraud charges.

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