Georgetown: Investigators of the Criminal Investigations Department of the Guyana Police Force Tuesday afternoon arrested the controversial Returning Officer for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo, into allegations of electoral fraud in the 2020 elections.
His arrest was confirmed by Crime Chief Senior Superintended Wendell Blanhum. The Crime Chief said Mr. Mingo was picked up from his home in Mahaicony around 4pm on Tuesday.
He is currently being interrogated by investigators at the Criminal Investigation Department, Eve Leary.
He says the investigation involving Mingo, Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield and his two assistants in relation to the allegation of election fraud.
On Monday, Chairman of the People’s National Congress Reform, Volda Lawrence was charged with procuring Mingo to provide to the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield false results.
The arrest of Mingo comes just four days after the Police Force announced that it was launching a comprehensive investigation into reports of electoral fraud as advised by the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Force’s Legal Adviser.
A private criminal charge had been filed against the Region Four Returning Officer back in March by Charles Ramson Jr. who is now the Minister of Culture Youth and Sport.
The charge was in relation to the first declaration of the election results for Region Four made by Mingo. That first declaration of incorrect numbers led to the High Court ordering Mingo to tally over the votes and do it in front of the party reps.
But Mingo’s new numbers again raised concerns based on the Statements of Poll that the People’s Progressive Party made public.
Mingo refused to change the numbers again and made a declaration. That declaration led to a political standoff which resulted in a recount of all votes cast in the elections.
Mingo was not part of the recount and it was the recount numbers that were used to declare the final results of the elections and resulted in a change in government.
The new government has already indicated that it intends to set up a Commission of Inquiry to examine the 2020 elections.
The national recount also found a series of anomalies in other parts of Region Four, which the APNU+AFC intends to use for its election petition case, since the coalition believes the anomalies were enough to change the outcome of the elections.
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