Former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Keith Lowenfield; former Returning Officer for District Four, Clairmont Mingo and former City Commander, Phillip Azore all appeared today before the Commission of Inquiry in the March 2020 General and Regional Elections.
The trio however opted not to testify before the commission and exercised their right to remain silent. Mingo and Lowenfield were represented by Attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes, who told the commission that the men are currently before the court facing charges in relation to the 2020 Elections.
Hughes explained that his clients, if allowed to present evidence before the commission, could stand the risk of implicating themselves and as such, both men have opted not to provide evidence in the matter. One by one, both Lowenfield and Mingo took the stand and told the Commission that they will remain silent.
Commissioner Justice Stanley John told the men that while they were summoned to testify before the commission, they wouldn’t be obligated to testify.
Meanwhile, former Commander Azore took a similar position to that of Lowenfield and Mingo. Azore, who was scheduled to testify yesterday, took the stand and told the commission that he prefered to not give evidence in the matter.
The commission then cautioned Azore, questioning him about whether he was aware of the accusations leveled against him by his former colleague and Commander of the City Division Edgar Thomas. Azore told the Commission that he was aware of the implication but still upheld his position to remain silent.
Yesterday, former Ministers Volda Lawrence and Dr. Karen Cummings were summoned to give testimony to the commission but they too remained silent.
The political opposition’s Chief Elections Scrutineer Carol Smith-Joseph, who was also summoned, posited that she would not provide a testimony.
