Pres Ali names members of int’l CoI into 2020 elections

– includes retired regional Judges, fmr Chancellor

In keeping with calls from several sections of society and President Dr Irfaan Ali’s commitment to ensure the tumultuous events of the 2020 General and Regional Elections are investigated, the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) has been announced.

President Ali, who has since departed Guyana to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda, made the announcement in a notice on Tuesday.
Retired Justice of Appeal Stanley John of Turks and Caicos was named the Chairman of the CoI while its members are former Attorney General, High Court Judge and Acting Justice of Appeal in the Eastern Caribbean, Godfrey P Smith, SC; former Chair and Chief Elections Commissioner of India, Dr S Y Quraishi and former acting Chancellor of Guyana’s Judiciary, Carl Singh.

It was further announced that Dr Afari Jayan and Dr Nasim Zaidi will serve as resource personnel on the CoI, to assist the Commission with its work. According to President Ali, the intended Commissioners and resource personnel will review the reports and documentation, set out modalities, and commence work in the coming weeks.

Bona fides
Retired Justice Stanley John is currently serving as the Non-Resident Justice of Appeal, Turks and Caicos Islands. The former Justice presides over criminal and civil appeals from the Supreme Court.

Prior, he served as Temporary High Court Judge of The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in Montserrat from April-July 2021.  He also served as Temporary High Court Judge of The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in the British Virgin Islands and Temporary High Court Judge of The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in Antigua and Barbuda.
In addition to these, Retired Justice Stanley John was once a Puisne Judge in Trinidad and Tobago from 1994 to 2002 where he presided over criminal trials and headed the Criminal Division of the High Court.
Meanwhile, Godfrey Phillip Smith, SC, has served as Attorney General of Belize, a High Court Judge, and an acting Justice of Appeal in the Eastern Caribbean.
Each has a track record of distinguished adjudication while leading major reforms and innovation to achieve efficiency in the business of resolving disputes.
Godfrey Phillip Smith, SC, has also served as Minister of Tourism & National Emergency Management, Minister of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade, Attorney General & Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Chief of Staff of the Office of the Prime Minister of Belize, and a Member of the House of Representatives.
Currently, the Former Attorney General is Partner at ByronSmith, Arbitrators & Litigation Support Services and Senior Partner, at Marine Parade Chambers, LLP, Attorneys-at-Law.

Dr SY Quraishi holds a Bachelor’s degree (Hons) and a Master’s degree in History from St Stephen’s College, Delhi University. He later gained a PhD from the J M I University, Delhi.
He joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1971 and after holding several strategic and key positions, rose to become the 17th Chief Election Commissioner of India, the world’s largest democracy.
Among the numerous posts Dr Quraishi has held were: Chief Election Commissioner of India, July 2010 – June 2012, Election Commissioner of India, June 2006 – July 2010 and Secretary, Govt of India Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, 2005 – 2006. He is also credited for founding the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management from which more than 75 countries have received training in this institute within five years.
More recently, he was a member of the Board of Advisors of International IDEA (Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance) Stockholm for 9 years (2012-2021). Dr Quraishi was nominated to be a Global Ambassador of Democracy alongside Kofi Annan by International IDEA (Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance) Stockholm in Oct 2018.
Lastly, retired Chancellor Carl Singh has held several key positions following his admission to the Bar in 1982.  He fulfilled the roles of Magistrate – 1983, Land Court Judge – 1988, High Court Judge – 1995, and Court of Appeal – 2000. In 2001, Retired Chancellor (ag) Carl Singh was appointed Chief Justice, and from 2005-2017 he served as acting Chancellor of the Judiciary.
The retired Chancellor (ag) also served as the Chairman of the Advisory Council to the President of Guyana on National Honours from 2005-2017. From 2017-2019, he served as a Professor of Law and Head of the Department of Law, University of Guyana.

Elections
Following the prolonged elections and its attendant controversies, the Caribbean Community (Caricom) scrutinising team had recommended a political audit into the functioning of GECOM. President Ali had announced the CoI, adding that persons governing this operation should be drawn from Caricom, the Commonwealth or the Organisation of American States (OAS).
Since last year, Ali had indicated that his Government was “committed” to identifying the individuals responsible in the rigging attempts and pinpointing possible areas of weakness that can be used to guide the required strengthening of Guyana’s electoral system. This would be achieved through the Inquiry, to which stakeholder consultations were facilitated to select appropriate persons.
It was only recently that Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh reasoned that any review focused on investigating actual occurrences during the 2020 elections by the electoral body would be outside the scope of its power.
She contended that should the intention of a proposed review be to consider if there are, in fact, potential weaknesses in the processes employed by GECOM for the conduct of elections and to propose improved methods or processes for future elections, then this can and should be undertaken.
Justice Singh made these positions known in writing following a request made some five months ago by the Opposition Commissioners that an internal investigation is launched into the events of the 2020 elections.
Since the election fiasco unfolded, several persons that served within the apparatus of GECOM have already been charged with electoral fraud. They include former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield; former Deputy CEO Roxanne Myers, former Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo among others.