GECOM accounts clerk held for alleged theft of GY$5 million

Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 September 2025, 13:57 by Writer

Police have detained at least one of 13 officials of the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) finance department in connection with the alleged theft of an estimated GY$5 million in cash allocated to pay polling day staff in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), police said on Tuesday.

Head of the Guyana Police Force’s Criminal Investigations Department, Deputy Commissioner Wendell Blanhum told Demerara Waves Online News that an assistant accounts clerk was held after some of the money was found in his possession. “A small fraction of the stolen money was recovered by detectives in possession of an Assistant Accounts Clerk.”

Mr Blanhum said “the probe is ongoing” into the alleged theft of the money between September 15 and 16 at the GECOM Secretariat. “Several GECOM employees are assisting the police in relation to a report of simple larceny involving the sum of approximately $5 million property of GECOM.

Other well-placed sources said police were called in last Thursday after word emerged that the cash went missing from GECOM’s finance department at the administration offices on Barrack and Fort streets, Kingston. The officials of the finance department were questioned by police and each released on GY$50,000 bail, the source said

No one has been charged, according to well-placed sources.

Demerara Waves Online News was told that the money was discovered missing when the GECOM staff could not balance the packeted payments to election day staff for Region Four with the remaining petty cash-in-hand.

A number of the staff members of the finance department was taken to Kitty Police Station and others to Brickdam Police Station.

Several were detained until Saturday and after the 72 hours maximum detention period expired without a court order, they were released on bail except for the assistant accounts clerk.

GECOM’s presiding officers are to be paid GY$100,000, assistant presiding officers GY$80,000 and poll clerk and other officials GY$70,000 for work on polling day.