APNU/AFC MPs, others charged for hosting illegal procession

Elections petition ruling

Two APNU/AFC Members of Parliament along with a group of supporters were on Friday hurled before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts after they were charged for participating in an illegal procession.
The parliamentarians, Christopher Jones and Annette Ferguson, were arraigned along with Mark Griffith, Travis Ellis, Gordon Lucas, and George Halley for the offence.

It is alleged that on April 26, following the dismissal of the party’s election petition in the High Court, they had participated in the illegal procession.
They also denied the charge and were each granted bail in the sum of $20,000.
However, Ferguson was also charged for allegedly obstructing a peace officer on April 26.
She also denied the latter charge and was granted $10,000 bail; taking her total bail sum to $30,000.
The defendants were represented by Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon, Darren Wade, Geeta Chandan-Edmond, and Ronald Daniels.
The cases have been adjourned to May 14.
On April 26, scores of APNU/AFC supporters gathered outside the court and marched through city streets following the dismissal of the party’s election petition by Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George.
The Chief Justice had ruled that nothing in the petition had supported the claims of the petitioners as it related to irregularities during the elections. Further, she ruled that there were no breaches or violations by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), that would make the election a sham or travesty.
Following her ruling, the party’s supporters and MPs took to the streets, where they protested in front of the High Court. As a result, several businesses along the commercial districts had closed their doors.
After their processions, the MPs along with several of the participants were served summonses to appear in court on Friday, as it is alleged that permission was not granted for the march. (G15)