Lawrence slapped with additional electoral fraud charges, granted $100,000 bail

Chairperson of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Volda Lawrence this morning appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to answer two charges of conspiracy to defraud.

She was charged in relation to her conduct following the March 02 General and Regional Elections.

According to Lawrence’s attorney Nigel Hughes, she as granted $100,000 bail and will have to make another court appearance on December 09.

Lawrence was arrested on Tuesday after she presented herself at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, for questioning. The former Minister, who is also an Executive Member of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC), was questioned in relation to her role in attempting to rig the March 2, 2020 Elections but was later released on $100,000 station bail.

Back in March, Charles Ramson Jr, who had served as the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s Counting Agent, had filed private criminal charges against embattled Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo and Lawrence following the RO’s declaration of unverified results for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).

Lawrence was arraigned in August and placed on $100,000 bail. The matter is still pending in court. The particulars of the charge stated that Mingo, having been procured by Lawrence on or about March 5 at the Command Centre for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on High and Hadfield Streets, uttered to the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, the election results for Region Four, knowing them to be forged, with intent to defraud the people of Guyana.

GECOM, despite being barred by an injunction, went ahead and published the Form 24s [which are collectively the election declaration] for all regions on its website. These included the unverified declaration for Region Four – Guyana’s largest voting district.

Mingo’s declaration, which was subsequently set aside by acting Chief Justice Roxane George, was signed by himself and Lawrence – the lone representative from the political parties that contested the elections. The other parties had objected to the declaration after the verification process was not fully complied with by the RO.

It was subsequently unearthed during the National Recount exercise that Mingo had heavily inflated the figures to give the then APNU/AFC incumbent a lead at the polls. However, the recount exercise showed that the PPP/C won the elections with 233,336 votes, while the coalition secured 217,920 votes.

As such, Mingo was charged by the Police and arraigned last month on four counts of misconduct in public office. He is currently on $600,000 bail. In addition, he is facing one private criminal charge jointly with Lawrence, for which he is currently out on self-bail.