Duarte Hetsberger, the Personal Assistant to Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield remained in custody yesterday, as the police continue to investigate the alleged fraud surrounding the March 2nd elections.
This was confirmed by Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum who told Stabroek News yesterday afternoon that two other individuals: Michelle Miller and Denise Bobb Cummings, who were also questioned during the investigation have since been released on station bail.
Blanhum noted that the duo are still actively involved in the investigation since bail was granted on the condition that they report to ranks at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as requested.
The three were among six persons who were arrested by the police for questioning in relation to the investigation.
Hetsberger, 39, was detained just after midday on Sunday. A search was later carried out at his residence in his presence and several electronic devices belonging to family members were seized.
Hetsberger, who is a member of the Guyana Defence Force has been seconded to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for several years. He served as Returning Officer for Georgetown during the 2016 and 2018 Local Government Elections.
Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo was also detained last week. He was released on 600,000 bail on Monday after being charged with four counts of misconduct in public office.
Sheffern February, a clerk employed with GECOM was also granted bail in the sum of $300,000. February was charged with two counts of attempting to defraud the people of Guyana.
Those charges stated that while in the position of a clerk she read incorrect numbers from the statements of poll during the March 2020 election. The charges are identical but pertain to the regional and general elections. February was also not required to plead. She is expected to make her next appearance on September 25th, 2020.
Enrique Livan, an Information Technology officer attached to GECOM, was also brought before the court on a charge of manipulating the numbers of the statements of poll that were recorded in the system so that they reflected fraudulent numbers for District Four. He was granted bail in the sum of $150,000 on the single charge.
Denied request for lawyer
Meanwhile, in a statement issued yesterday, Miller through her attorneys, Latoya Roberts and Eusi Anderson detailed the events leading up to her arrest up to until she was released on station bail.
Miller had been detained by the police on August 26 at her residence and taken to Police Headquarters, Eve Leary. Later that day she said her blood pressure went up and upon the request of her lawyer she was taken to the GPHC.
Miller said that shortly after being discharged from the GPHC, doctors informed her that she should go on the sick leave that was granted the day before.
As a result, she said she was waiting on her relatives to pick her up but by time they arrived, two police officers entered the room she was occupying, arrested her and took her to the CID Headquarters. “Upon arrival at Eve Leary I was taken to Mr. (Mitchell) Caesar’s office where the said officer immediately began questioning me about my involvement in an alleged electoral fraud after the March 2, 2020, Regional and General Elections,” Miller said.
She added that she requested to have her lawyer present but that was denied. “I informed Mr. Caesar that I wished to have my Attorney-at-law present during the interview he was conducting, but my request was not granted and Mr. Caesar continued to ask me a series of questions,” Miller said.
Thereafter, she further stated that she asked the police if they had an extension to further detain her, since her initial 72-hours had expired. “…..I asked Mr. Caesar if he had a Court Order granting the police an extension of time to keep me in their custody since I had been arrested since Wednesday August 26, 2020, and the 72 hours for which they were legally allowed to keep me in custody without being charged had long since expired, but he ignored my question and continued to badger me (with) questions about the alleged electoral fraud,” Miller further explained in the station.
She said during questioning, she “consistently” denied any involvement in the allegations. “Mr. Caesar’s mobile phone then rang and after answering same, he told me that someone would like to speak to me and handed me his cell phone,” Miller said.
“As I collected the phone I noticed that the caller’s name that was displayed on the screen was Charles Ramson. I answered the call, and when I did so, a male on the line identified himself to me as Charles Ramson, the Minister of Government, and stated that he wished to speak with me. Mr. Ramson then said that my brother had made contact with him and that he was just calling to ask me to cooperate with the police and tell them everything I knew. Mr. Ramson also informed me that the Police was not interested in me, but rather they were interested in nailing Mr. Mingo for the offences that had been committed. Mr. Ramson went on to say that the lawyers that were hired to defend me were hired by (name provided), and the said Lawyers were not looking into my best interest but were simply trying to ensure that the interests of (name provided) and GECOM were protected. I was also informed by Mr. Ramson that they could hire lawyers to protect me if I cooperated with the police,” Miller further explained.
According to Miller, she told Ramson “okay” and ended the call. “Mr. Caesar then asked me if I was ready to cooperate, but I told him I wished to speak with my lawyer first. However, no efforts were made by Mr. Caesar to grant me my request even though it had been reported to him that Mr. Eusi Anderson, one of my Attorneys-at-law, was downstairs asking to speak with me. Thereafter I was told by Mr. Caesar that the Police possessed video footage from Mr. Sasenarine Singh, and that I was one of the persons shown in the video. He also stated that I was involved in the tabulations process when the fraud occurred,” she added.
Miller said she again denied the allegations and insisted that she wished to contact her lawyer.
She stated that she was then taken to Blanhum’s office after Caesar said that she was not cooperating. “In Mr. Blanhum’s office both him and Mr. Caesar were present, and I was asked by Mr. Blanhum if I was ready to cooperate. I informed him that I was always cooperating with the police but that they were not respecting my rights. I repeated to him the need for me to follow the advice of the Doctors as stated in my medical, the fact that I was being kept in custody beyond 72 hrs with no Court Order extending the time for police to keep me under arrest and my request to speak to my Attorney. Mr. Blanhum then stated that I was not cooperating and he had no time for this, he then instructed Mr. Caesar to charge me if I did not change my position in five minutes. I was then placed to sit outside of his office,” Miller related.
At that time, Miller said about two hours had passed. During the period, she said she made complaints to the officer present that she was tired, hungry and needed to use the washroom. Minutes after, she said her requests were granted and she was also allowed to meet with her lawyer.
“I was taken downstairs to the washroom and when I was finished using same, I was allowed to speak to my Attorney-at-law, Ms. Latoya Roberts, while the said female officer remained standing less than 2 feet away, even though my Attorney requested privacy. As a result, we were forced to whisper to each other. During the said meeting with my Attorney, she told me to eat my lunch, as by this time it was after 4pm. Thereafter I checked my blood pressure and … it had increased again with a reading of 214/120. Before I left GPHC earlier that in the day, it was 154/104,” she detailed.
After noting the increase in her blood pressure, one of Miller’s attorneys attempted to speak to Blanhum but was told he was unavailable. “Ms. Roberts was later joined by Mr. Anderson, and it was not until an Application that had been filed in the High Court for a Writ of Habeas Corpus was served on Mr. Blanhum, was I granted bail in the sum of $100,000. Before being released on Bail I was profiled by the police, in that my finger prints and picture were taken, but no charge was read to me,” Miller said.
Miller was released from custody the said evening after bail was granted.
