As the criminal investigation into the attempts to manipulate the results of the March 2nd polls widens, Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield was yesterday arrested in connection with allegations of criminal conduct and subsequently released on station bail after invoking his right to remain silent.
In a press release issued yesterday afternoon, Guy-ana Police Force spokesman Assistant Commissioner Royston Andries-Junor confirmed that Lowenfield was arrested yesterday and taken to the Criminal Investiga-tion Department (CID) Headquarters, at Eve Leary, in Georgetown.
While there, Andries-Junor said, several allegations were levelled against Lowenfield in the presence of his attorney. Throughout the process, he remained silent.
“After being told of the allegations, Mr. Lowenfield exercised his right to remain silent,” the statement said. “Thereafter, a confrontation was held between him and a witness and once again Mr. Lowenfield opted to remain silent,” it added.
Upon completion of the process, the police said Lowenfield was released on station bail on the condition that he reports to the CID Headquarters on Monday.
Lowenfield is already facing fraud and misconduct charges which were filed by private citizens Desmond Morian and Daniel Josh Kanhai over the handling of the results from the March 2nd polls. The Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has since taken over prosecution.
It is alleged that between March 5th and June 23rd, 2020, Lowenfield conspired with a person or persons unknown to commit the common law offence of fraud by representing to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) that tables attached to his June 23rd elections report accurately reflected the true results of the elections in order to materially alter the results, with intent to defraud as he knew the tabulation to be false.
Kanhai is listed as the complainant for this charge.
A second charge states that while performing his duty as CEO, Lowenfield willfully misconducted himself by ascertaining results of the elections “knowing the said results to be false,” without lawful excuse or justification.
That charge was brought by Morian.
A third charge, also brought by Morian, alleges that Lowenfield conspired with a person or persons unknown to commit fraud by representing to GECOM that the tables in his March 14th Elections Report reflected the true results of the elections, knowing that the tabulation was false, in order to materially alter the results of the elections.
Other GECOM officials and APNU+AFC agent Volda Lawrence have also been faced with charges stemming from their alleged involvement in the manipulation of the elections results.
District Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo was one of the first individuals who was arrested as part of the ongoing investigation and he has since been faced with multiple charges, for which he is out on bail.
Sheffern February, a clerk employed with GECOM, was also granted bail after she 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. The charges are identical but pertain to the regional and general elections.
Enrique Livan, a GECOM Information Technology officer, 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, too, was granted bail.
Lowenfield’s Personal Assistant, Duarte Hetsberger, Michelle Miller and Denise Bobb Cummings were also previously detained for questioning during the investigation but they have since been released on station bail.
The results were only finalised on August 2nd, five months after Guyanese votes, following the attempts to tamper with the results, a subsequent recount and numerous legal challenges that ensued over that process.
