APNU+AFC MPs, supporters charged for illegal procession during 2020 elections

May 08, 2021 News

Scenes from court yesterday.

Kaieteur News – Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones; Opposition Member of Parliament, Annette Ferguson; and four A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) supporters, were yesterday hauled before the courts on illegal procession charges.
The charges stem from a march outside of the High Court in Georgetown, last month following the ruling on the elections petition case by Chief Justice (Ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire.

Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones.

Opposition Member of Parliament, Annette Ferguson.

The matters were called in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Senior Magistrate, Leron Daly. The defendants are being represented by attorneys-at-law: Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon; Member of Parliament, Geeta Chandan-Edmond; Ronald Daniels and Darren Wade.
Jones, Ferguson and six named coalition supporters were called in the matter.

The four APNU+AFC supporters who were charged.

Those six supporters are Mark Griffith, Gary Morris, Malcolm Billison, Travis Ellis, Gordon Lucas and George Halley. The court was then informed that Billison and Morris are absent and as such, Senior Magistrate Daly issued summons for both defendants.
The first joint charge alleged that Jones and Ferguson along with the six coalition supporters on April 26, 2021, at Georgetown, illegally engaged in procession without permission from the Commissioner of Police.
The defendants were charged under Section 12 of the Public Order Act. Section 12, which stipulates, “Any person who holds, organises, forms, speaks at or takes part in any public meeting or public procession at which a noisy instrument is used without the permission of the Chief Officer of Police shall be guilty of an offence.” The law further outlines that anyone found guilty could face a fine of $26,000 and be imprisoned for up to four months.
The defendants denied the joint charge after it was read to them and Senior Magistrate Daly granted them bail in the sum of $20,000 each. The matter was then adjourned to May 14, 2021.
Additionally, Ferguson was slapped with an individual charge, which alleges that on April 26, 2021, she obstructed a peace officer from conducting his duties. She pleaded not guilty and was placed on $10,000 bail for that offence. She is expected to make her next court appearance on May 14, 2021.

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