– Lawrence says as police press seven charges against her, Mingo, Joseph
Peoples National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) Chairman, Volda Lawrence; APNU+AFC representative, Carol Joseph; and Region Four Returning Officer (RO), Clairmont Mingo each was slapped with charges at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday in relation to the ongoing investigation into the 2020 Elections.
Lawrence was arraigned on one charge of forgery; Joseph received three charges, one of forgery and two of conspiracy to defraud, and Mingo received the same three charges, being jointly charged with Joseph on the charge of forgery.
Bail application was made and the prosecution did not object but asked that bail be commensurate with the charges. They were each placed on $30,000 for each offence. The matter has been adjourned to October 28, 2020 before the Chief Magistrate.
Speaking to reporters outside of the Court, Attorney-at-Law, Nigel Hughes, one of the lawyers representing the trio said that both Lawrence and Joseph have been asked the same questions numerous times in video recorder interviews and he is therefore unsure of the motivation behind the new charges.
“One is a bit at a loss to find out what would have led to these charges, particularly when there were existing charges,” he said. “We have been repeatedly asking – we asked today – that when they are in the position to proceed with all their charges, for the purposes of efficiency, they should bring all those charges at one time and then we can determine what’s perhaps the most efficient way to have those cases heard.”
Hughes said that bringing similar charges every week inconveniences Mingo and Joseph who have to travel from West Coast Berbice every time they are summoned to the Court or to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for questioning.
The attorney explained: “This is a bit of a burden, especially in the period of COVID, on these people. If you complete your investigation, you have one mass interview and then we’ll all come to Court and deal with the charges. These charges, we believe, are without foundation and we will address them at the time but to have them coming repeatedly…clearly has some other intent than the administration of justice.”
As Lawrence and Joseph left the vicinity of the Court, supporters walked with them singing “we shall overcome”. Pausing briefly at the intersection of Brickdam Street and Avenue of the Republic, they spoke to supporters expressing their belief that the numerous charges being issued come from the directive of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government.
“This is harassment! This ain’t got nothing to do with law and order and forgery and whatever. This is just harassment. In my purview, I feel that they got to please somebody so every other week they got to march us to CID, every other week they got to bring us to the Court,” Lawrence said.
She also pointed out that while she and Joseph were asked to come to the Court for 09:00 hours, their charges could not be sorted out until after 10:00 hours. Meanwhile,
Joseph said that she is displeased that she has to travel back and forth from her home to the CID. She also believes the charges against her are unfounded and are meant to daunt the APNU+AFC Coalition which has an election petition pending for Court.
“When we got here this morning there weren’t even any charges for us they were now scuttling and getting the charges. All I can tell you is that this has nothing to do with charges, this is a Government who knows that they’re illegal and they know that they have to come out and they know that we will get them out,” she said.
“They know that I was at the recount and I saw what I saw and we know that no Court, no matter how corrupt they might think it might be, would ever agree with what took place at the March 2, 2020 elections.” As they departed, the women invited the supporters to turn out to the CID on Thursday at 13:00 hours in the form of protest action.
At Lawrence’s last appearance before the Court she was dealt with two charges from the State for conspiracy to defraud at the General Elections and conspiracy to defraud at the Regional Elections. She was released on $50,000 bail for each charge and the charges came one day after she was questioned at the CID, detained, and released on $100,000 station bail.
Before that she received private criminal charges filed against her by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr. for alleged conspiracy to forge documents in her party’s favor. On the other hand, Joseph was last questioned by the CID in September and released on 100,000 station bail. This is her first time appearing before the Magistrates’ Court in relation to the election investigation.
