Gov’t appealing High Court decision that Roxanne Myers did not pervert justice during elections probe

Last Updated on Friday, 9 August 2024, 20:37 by Writer

Attorney General Anil Nandlall on Friday filed a notice to appeal a High Court decision earlier in the day that former Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Roxanne Myers must be compensated GY$2 million for wrongful arrest and detention during a probe into alleged electoral fraud in violation of Guyana’s Constitution.

Among his requests of the Guyana Court of Appeal is for finding that Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall erred when she held that Ms Myers’ refusal to answer questions about the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM’s) Statement of Polls from the March 2020 elections could not be seen as perverting the course of justice. He also disagrees with the judge that Ms Myers did not pervert the course of justice because she refused to speak about the whereabouts of the Statements of Poll after another suspect had stated that he had given them to her.

The Attorney General intends to argue in the appeal that the judge further erred in law when she found that Ms Myers’ detention at the Beterverwagting Police Station from 6th to 9th October, 2020, was in contravention of her right to personal liberty protected by Article 139 of the Guyana Constitution.

Mr Nandlall, in his Notice of Appeal, did not rule out adding more grounds for appeal after he receives the written decision/judgement of the Court which was orally delivered on 9th August, 2024.

Ms Myers is among several persons charged with electoral fraud. They include former Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, then Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, two other GECOM officials, and PNCR members Volda Lawrence and Carol Smith.