Police P Constable injured in Corentyne smash-up succumbs

10 NEWS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Police Constable injured in Corentyne smash-up succumbs

Dead: Police Constable Navindra Jodhan

The Police Officer who was involved in a two-vehicle smash-up along the Number 68 Public Road last week succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Dead is Police Constable Navindra Jodhan of 20 Strand and St John Street,

New Amsterdam, Berbice. The accident had already taken the life of 47-yearold Malchan Ramdanny, called “Rasta”, a labourer, of Number 69 Village.

At the time of the accident, the Police Constable was riding his CBR motorcycle while Ramdanny was on his pedal cycle.

It was reported that Jodhan was travelling at an allegedly fast pace when a pedal cyclist reportedly made a sudden turn into his path thus causing a collision. They both fell to the roadway where Ramdanny died on the spot, but Jodhan was picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the Skeldon Hospital.

He was later transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital, then to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was admitted up to the time of his demise.

Speaking with Guyana Times, Jodhan’s father-inlaw, Bobby Seepersaud, said his daughter had been

Dead: Police Sergeant Lakhan Persaud

visiting him daily ever since he was admitted and she was reporting that his condition was not improving.

“She was there this morning and he was still alive, but when she went back for the midday visit, the doctor informed her that he has passed. They said that his heart gave up,” Seepersaud said.

He referred to his now late son-in-law as being a dedicated Police Officer.

“Sometimes they would call on him to go out to work and his wife would tell him that it is Sunday or it is a holiday, but he would tell her that he has to go to work and he would leave,” Seepersaud recalled.

He said Jodhan had purchased the motorcycle about 10 months ago.

“He liked going with the bikers and ride on Sundays. Sometimes, they would ride and go to the Beach and hang out and then go to Skeldon …”

Jodhan’s death comes on the heels of the death of 25-year-old Police

According to the applicants, the two Judges misinterpreted GECOM’s orders (Order 60 of 2020) and intentions, instead of limiting themselves to interpreting the Constitution as it relates to the COA’s jurisdiction. Their ruling, according to the applicants, undermines the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers by authorising GECOM to usurp the High Court’s jurisdiction.

“The issues which are engaged by this appeal are of fundamental importance and will, inevitably impact the outcome of the General and Regional Election, the outcome of which is a matter of tremendous domestic and international concern and importance,”

“The Constitution and relevant legislation governing elections in Guyana have provided for the independence of GECOM which said independence has been directly impugned in the Motion of Eslyn David and the decision of the Sergeant Lakhan Persaud of Lot 5 Columbia Village, Essequibo Coast, Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara) on Sunday.

According to the Police, Persaud was driving a motor car and lost control; he then collided with sevCourt of Appeal.”

According to the NOA filed on their behalf by Trinidadbased Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes, Nandlall and attorney Devindra Kissoon, the applicants are seeking leave to appeal the Court of Appeal decision. They are requesting that the matter be urgently heard and that the application be treated as the hearing of the appeal.

The CCJ has since obliged the appeal, setting July 1 for the hearing of the appeal, with a case management conference expected to be held on Thursday, June 25. Further, the CCJ informed the parties in the matter that interim orders to bar GECOM from making a declaration before the case is heard will be granted by today.

The reason for this became clear on Tuesday, as Lowenfield attempted to present a report for the declaration of numbers that was so heavily doctored that the GECOM Chair refused it. In addition, eral motor vehicles and spare parts which were being showcased in front of the business premises of Balram Kawal's Auto Sales.

He was taken to the Suddie Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

CCJ asserts jurisdiction...

FROM

PAGE 3

Lowenfield’s report has come in for heavy criticism across society.

The elections and the National Recount of ballots had shown that based on 2339 Statements of Recount (SoRs), the PPP/C, whose Presidential Candidate is former Housing Minister Dr Irfaan Ali, received a total of 233,336 votes.

This is 15,416 more votes than their nearest rivals, the incumbent APNU/AFC, which received 217,920 total votes. When one calculates using the Hare formula, it means that PPP/C would have secured 33 out of 65 seats in the National Assembly and APNU/AFC would have secured 31.

However, Lowenfield in his report arbitrarily awarded the APNU/AFC 171,825 votes while awarding the PPP/C 166,343 votes. By his calculations, Lowenfield disenfranchised over 115,000 voters. He also awarded APNU/AFC 33 seats, PPP 31 and one seat for the joinder parties.

NEWS 11 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM Nandlall chastises Nagamootoo for “encouraging political dictatorship”

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Executive Member Anil Nandlall has lashed out at caretaker Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo for reportedly suggesting that following the Court of Appeal ruling on Monday, it allows for “valid votes” to be tabulated, and based on the submissions by Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, the incumbent coalition would remain in power for a second term.

“Moses Nagamootoo is an utter disgrace to this country and to the legal profession, and I say so boldly without any apology whatsoever,” Nandlall said during a programme on Kaieteur Radio with hosts Yog Mahadeo and Leonard Gildarie, on Monday evening.

Following the Court of Appeal ruling on Monday in relation to its jurisdiction to hear the case brought by Eslyn David, seeking to block the official declaration of the March 2 polls, some A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) leaders conveniently interpreted the ruling to mean that it was a “victory” for the party and convinced their supporters to believe so.

PPP/C Executive Anil Nandlall

But Nandlall, a former Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, posited that what the coalition was essentially saying was that it was quite acceptable for the Chief Elections Officer to discard thousands of votes which are claimed to be “invalid” based on unsubstantiated allegations.

“He (Nagamootoo) is essentially telling you that Lowenfield can discount 275,000 votes from the people of this country, so that his party and his government can win…

“Moses Nagamootoo is encouraging political dictatorship,” Nandlall lashed

out.

He reminded that at a meeting of June 18, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), through Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, made a unanimous decision that the Commission could not deal with the issue of credibility of an election. This is a matter for the High Court through an elections petition after the results have been declared and a President has been sworn in.

The former Attorney General added that the Commission has already, during the recount process, determined the validity of the votes.

“Valid votes have already been determined by the Commission, and Lowenfield has already been directed to go and total those valid votes and prepare the requisite statutory forms,” Nandlall said.

He explained that “invalid votes” were already discounted and put in separate envelopes during the recount process.

Nandlall argued that all Lowenfield has to do now was to “calculate the seats, identify the presidential candidate from the list that has received the most votes and identify that person as the president”, adding “Lowenfield cannot act independent of the Commission”.

On this basis, Nandlall citied two statutory provisions – Section 18 and Section 19 of the Elections Laws Amendment Act which state that the Chief Elections Officer and the Deputy Chief Elections Officer, “at all material times, must act in accordance with the direction of the Commission”.

“So GECOM clarified what Lowenfield ought to do and he cannot depart from that direction,” he enforced.

Nandlall further excontaining 50 live rounds of .45 ammunition.

Lawmen also found a large multi-coloured plastic bag containing four bulky parcels with cannabis, which weighed 5448 grams in total.

Meanwhile, the other plained that the decision to move to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) was to seek clarity on the law as there was much confusion following the Court of Appeal ruling on Monday.

He said “nowhere on Planet Earth will a judiciary ever be empowered to defeat the will of the electorate”.

“No judicial body can direct a constitutional body as driver, along with a passenger from the RDC vehicle, was instructed to make his way to the Vreed-enHoop Police Station, but as he approached the station, the driver jumped out of the car and escaped.

According to Police,

to how to perform its constitutional functions once that body operates within the law,” Nandlall added.

The former AG maintains that the PPP/C has won the elections convincingly based on the total number of valid votes it secured and would not relent until the APNU/ AFC Government is re

Region 10 RDC employee nabbed with ganja

…2 escape, drop haversack with gun, ammo

A29-year-old employee attached to the Regional Democratic bearing registration number PXX 6972 on the Schoonord road. The driver was arrested while another person exited the car with Council (RDC) of Region 10 Public Road, West Bank a black haversack in his (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Demerara (WBD). hand and started to run. was on Sunday nabbed by As the ranks apHowever, a Constable Police with a large quantiproached the two vehicles, exited the Police vehicle ty of ganja while two oththe RDC vehicle pulled and gave chase, resulting ers managed to escape. off quickly in an effort to in the suspect dumping the

Based on information evade lawmen, but was haversack on the road. received, about 16:30h on pursued by the Police. The The Constable checked the day in question, ranks other vehicle was interthe haversack and unon mobile patrol observed cepted. earthed a Black Taurus .45 motor car PVV 3686 with After a long chase, the Pistol with nine live matchthe RDC 10 logo parked Police intercepted the RDC ing rounds in the magazine alongside another car vehicle at a dead end of the along with one small box

moved from power.

they are presently on the hunt for the driver whose name was given as “George”, along with another unidentifiable man.

The RDC employee remains in custody and is expected to make his court appearance shortly.

12 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS 13 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM Lowenfield caught in 4th attempt to rig elections

...twice with Mingo's fraudulent declarations, twice with doctored recount numbers

fied at the National Recount which was deemed credible by a high-profile team from Caricom. In fact, the manufactured figures included in Lowenfield’s latest report do not even correspond with the numbers he had concocted in his first report to the Chairperson. In the first report, Lowenfield claimed that the APNU/AFC won 125,010 votes while the PPP/C won 56,627 – disfranchising some 60 per cent of the elecGECOM CEO Keith Lowenfield torate on mere allegations that their votes are “invalC hief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield has been caught in the fourth attempt to alter the results of the elections, following his submission of a second report with doctored figures on Tuesday. Lowenfield submitted id”. But now, Lowenfield’s new report validates votes he would have previously invalidated; the CEO now claims that the APNU/AFC coalition garnered 171,825 votes while the PPP/C gained 166,343 votes. el team from the Caribbean Community (Caricom) pellucidly show that the PPP/C won with 233,336 votes while the APNU/AFC garnered 217,920. Guyana Times underments. Lowenfield’s attempt to alter the results of the results and deny the will of the people comes on the heels of two previous attempts made by Returning Officer The copy of the tabulation presented by Lowenfield on Tuesday ly inflated in favour of the APNU/AFC coalition – vastly differing from the official numbers recorded on the Statements of Poll (SoPs). On March 5, Mingo declared fraudulent results for Electoral Observation Mission of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in Guyana, Bruce Golding had previously revealed that he had never seen such a “transparent attempt to alto the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh, a report containing numbers which How the CEO arrived at those figures is unknown, since the certified results from the legally conducted recount exercise supervised stands that the GECOM Chairperson has rejected Lowenfield’s latest report. The Commission, up to news time, had not issued a for Region Four Clairmont Mingo. Mingo, during the tabulation of votes following the March 2 elections, used District Four, prompting the PPP/C to move to the courts which scrapped those results and ordered that the process be done through the legally ter the results of an election”. do not reflect those certiby GECOM and a high-levstatement on these developfigures which were heaviprescribed procedure. It’s time for Granger to do honourable sumed, Mingo still proceeded to use concocted numbers, and he eventually thing, concede defeat – Phillips made a second fraudulent declaration on March 13. Mingo had declared that – urges Granger to listen to son-in-law, stop fooling supporters the APNU/AFC won 136,057 votes for District Four, while the PPP/C won 77,231. is out there, in the public domain. The PPP/C won the elections. They have the number of votes they won it by. We went through a recount. All the reports are in. Its time for Mr Granger to lead in the interest of peace and stability in this country.” Phillips, a former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence & rescue legacy But the certified recount process clearly shows that for Region Four, the APNU/ AFC won 116,941 votes while PPP/C won 80,920. Mingo’s attempts to alter the results of the elections were noted by all international stakeholders, members of the diplomatic community and electoral observers. In fact, Head of the Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo Attempts to rig the elections were massively exposed during the transparent recount exercise, which showed that for numerous ballot boxes, Mingo significantly inflated the votes for the APNU/AFC coalition. Force, pointed out that this When the process was reP eople’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Prime Ministerial President-elect, Dr Irfaan Ali course of action will not only ensure peace in Guyana, but will also help the country’s case when it goes up before the International Court of Justice for the final decision Granger consider his legacy. Phillips’ advise comes following former Barbadian dipPrime Minister-elect, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips Sharma had pointed out that the National Recount was carried out and from the President David Granger Candidate, Brigadier Mark Phillips has urged fellow retired army top brass, caretaker President David Granger, to call it a day and on their border controversy case with Venezuela. “It’s time for him to go to the mic. Go to the mic and tell the people of Guyana, lomat to the United States (US) and the Organisation of American States (OAS), John Beale, declaring that Granger is known as the votes counted, it is clear the PPP/C is the winner. As such, he had urged that PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali admit he was defeated at the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections. Phillips made this pronouncement during an onmy party, my coalition APNU/AFC, lost these elections. And I’m conceding defeat. That will bring peace to Guyana. Not to fool [hard“sanctimonious gangster” in Caribbean circles. “Let us have a proper legacy for him. Because in another five years, another 100 be sworn in without delay. Sharma had also called the last 108 days exhausting and said that the people are starving and suffering, due line panel discussion that also featured PPP election candidate Charles Ramson and moderator Edward Layne. According to him, the core supporters]. His own son-in-law told him what I’m repeating right now. So, if he doesn’t want to listen to me, listen to your son-inyears, when the political history of Guyana is written, we want it to be correctly stated that Mr Granger, notwithstanding the fact he to the COVID-triggered economic slowdown. Granger’s own sonin-law, former Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, leadership of A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC), particularly Granger, have law.” “Our national interests are pursued by diplomatic ties and relationships that held out for over 100 days, has finally conceded he lost the elections,” Phillips said. It was only on Friday also made a statement on Friday in which he conceded that APNU/AFC lost to the PPP/C and called out his to take a principled stand. “The time has come for the leadership of the APNU/AFC and when I say the leadership, I’m talking we foster with these same organisations we fighting against. Caricom. OAS. Commonwealth. These are organisations that we purlast that coalition partner Justice For All Party (JFAP) founder CN Sharma, broke away from APNU/AFC’s dogged refusal to accept departy’s leadership for fooling supporters. And incumbent Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan was caught on about Brigadier (retired) David Arthur Granger. The time has come for him to go public, notwithstanding they will wait on GECOM to sue our national interests through. The European Union. Only last week Mr Carl Greenidge, one of their own, mentioned that feat in the March 2 polls. In a statement, he made it clear that enough was enough and it was time for the country to move on. a recording, conceding defeat to his Ministry staff, during a farewell speech he had given. In that speech, Ramjattan had acknowlmake a declaration which is more ceremonial than anything else,” Phillips said. “Because the knowledge Guyana’s defence and security, the first line is diplomacy.” Phillips also urged that He chastised those bent on dragging out the process and extended congratulations to PPP/C on their win. edged the PPP winning by some 15,000 votes and had told the gathering he was willing to move on.