An attempt by police investigators to meet with People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Chairperson Volda Lawrence on an allegation stemming from the ongoing probe of an attempt to manipulate the outcome of the March 2nd polls was aborted yesterday at the last minute.
Lawrence, who has already been faced with a criminal charge of uttering a forged document related to the polls, was due to attend a meeting yesterday afternoon at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Eve Leary, where police were expected to level an allegation against her. However, a short while before the encounter, the visit was deferred until Monday.
Ahead of the scheduled meeting, the opposition APNU+AFC issued a statement in which it accused the police of intensifying “psychological terrorism” on the leadership of the APNU+AFC coalition by asking Lawrence to present herself to CID at 4.15 pm yesterday—a claim that was later rejected by the police, who said the time was agreed on to accommodate Lawrence’s lawyer.
In a statement issued last evening, Guyana Police Force (GPF) spokesman Assistant Commissioner Royston Andries-Junor said that investigators contacted Lawrence’s lawyer, Nigel Hughes, and invited her to the CID Headquarters to put an allegation to her in relation to the elections investigation.
Hughes, the police said, initially indicated that Lawrence would be there for 10am yesterday but later requested that they exercise their discretion and permit him to bring Lawrence at 4pm instead.
The request was granted. “The police investigators had no difficulty in acceding to the Attorney’s request and so the time for Ms. Lawrence to report to the CID location in the company of her Attorney was duly re-scheduled as requested,” the GPF explained While the statement did not include the date to which the visit was rescheduled, Sunday Stabroek News informed that Lawrence is expected to be present at the CID Headquarters at 10am Monday.
However, in its statement APNU+AFC said the “sudden and unnecessary demand” for Lawrence to present herself at the CID Headquarters, late on a Saturday afternoon must be seen as “psychological terrorism against the APNU+AFC leadership, activists and supporters” in which police are complicit.
“It is evident that there is a plan to detain Ms. Lawrence as others have been detained previously,” it further charged, while maintaining that Lawrence, who has been placed on bail, has dutifully attended court as required and complied with all requirements. “The charges against her are baseless, spurious and trumped up,” the coalition said.
However, the police denounced the accusations levelled against it by APNU+AFC as “completely erroneously” and a “convenient attempt to create public mischief” and impede the ongoing probe.
Lawrence was previously charged alongside District Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo for allegedly uttering a forged document with intent to defraud the public contrary to Section 278 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act.
More than a month ago, the police announced that they had launched an investigation into the March elections and the events that occurred during the ensuing five months up to when President Irfaan Ali was declared the winner on August 2nd. Since then, a number of individuals, including several Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) officials have faced charges stemming from their alleged involvement in the manipulation of the elections results.
The most recent to be arrested as part of the investigation were Deputy Chief Election officer Roxanne Myers, who was eventually charged with two counts of misconduct in public office.
Apart from Mingo and Myers, Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, GECOM clerk Sheffern, and GECOM Information Technology Officer Enrique Livan have been charged.
