Volda Lawrence, Carol Joseph for court today on electoral fraud charges

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L-R: Volda Lawrence and Carol Joseph
L-R: Volda Lawrence and Carol Joseph

Chairman of the PNC/R Volda Lawrence along with APNU/AFC activist Carol Joseph are slated to appear in court today on charges in relation to the attempts to tamper with the results of the March 2 General and Regional Election.

INews understands that Lawrence is being charged for forgery while Joseph for conspiracy to defraud.

The duo was asked on Tuesday to visit the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters to be questioned in relation to the role they played in the attempts to rig this year’s election.

Only last week, Lawrence was slapped with two conspiracy to defraud charges and was released on $50,000 bail on each charge. Those charges came one day after she was arrested, detained and released on $100,000 station bail.

Lawrence is already facing private criminal charges jointly with embattled Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, for forging electoral documents in an effort to defraud the country.

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

Lawrence was arraigned in August on this charge and placed a $100,000 bail. The matter is still pending in court.

In addition to the private criminal charge – for which he is out on self-bail – 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.

Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield and his Deputy Roxanne Myers have also been slapped with a number of charges brought by the State in relation to electoral fraud.

Lowenfield was granted bail in the sum of $300,000 on six charges of misconduct in public office and forgery. He is also facing three private criminal charges regarding conspiracy to commit fraud, breach of public trust, and misconduct in public office. On those charges, he was granted $450,000 bail.

Meanwhile, Myers was slapped with two charges of misconduct in public office, for which she was granted $300,000 bail.

Other electoral officials have also been charged in relation to electoral fraud at the March 2 polls.

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