By Mark DaCosta- More than half a decade after the March 2020 General and Regional Elections convulsed our nation with a disputed count, an international outcry and a full national recount, the criminal cases arising from that chapter remain grinding through the courts — unfinished, contested, and increasingly polarising. It is against this backdrop of prolonged proceedings and public impatience that the A Partnership for National Unity / People’s National Congress Reform (APNU/PNCR) coalition has weighed in, condemning what it characterises as a politically charged prosecution aimed squarely at its ranks.
The main thrust of its position, contained in a statement issued on September 4, is that the drawn-out trials have all the markings of a witch-hunt intended to punish political opponents, intimidate participants in the electoral process, and tarnish the reputations of Guyanese who served our country — all without a shred of compelling evidence yet presented before a judge.
The statement argues that the sheer length of the prosecution tells its own story. After six years, the coalition asks, where is the proof, and why should citizens continue to suffer reputational damage over allegations that remain untested? Its central demand is that if the State possesses evidence of electoral wrongdoing, it must place that evidence before the court and let the law take its course.
The coalition’s language is unsparing: “A charge is not a conviction. An allegation is not evidence.” It adds, pointedly, that “Political rhetoric is not proof” — a clear signal that, in its view, much of what has been aired publicly about the case amounts to accusation rather than admissible fact.
The matters at issue trace back to the aftermath of the March 2, 2020 polls, when a contested tabulation process in Region Four triggered a national political crisis that was only resolved through a recount supervised by CARICOM observers, which confirmed a narrow victory for the PPP/C and paved the way for Mr. Irfaan Ali’s swearing-in that August.
Criminal charges were subsequently brought against several figures linked to the elections machinery and the former coalition, among them former GECOM Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, former Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, former GECOM deputy CEO Roxanne Myers, and former PNCR Chairperson Volda Lawrence. Collectively, the accused face 19 charges, including conspiracy to defraud and misconduct in public office; all have pleaded not guilty and are on bail.
The prosecution maintains that the accused played a “critical role” in inflating votes for the APNU+AFC coalition while reducing votes for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).
The trials, being heard before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, have advanced at a slow l pace, reaching their fifty-fourth day earlier this year with the prosecution still working through a witness list of roughly 73 individuals . It is precisely this sluggishness that fuels the coalition’s anger.
The statement reserves particular criticism for the Attorney General, whose office, it argues, carries a special obligation to ensure the machinery of justice is never perceived as an instrument of partisan advantage, reminding the public that the courts and the criminal justice system belong to the State, not to any government of the day.
Beyond the courtroom, the coalition warns of a deeper danger: that the criminal process itself is being bent into a form of punishment. “Prosecution must never become punishment by another name,” it declares, cautioning that “Political power is temporary, but the damage done to a person’s reputation can last a lifetime.” In its closing passages, the statement broadens its appeal beyond party lines, contending that institutions weaponised against political opponents today could tomorrow be turned on any citizen who becomes inconvenient to those in power.
The coalition’s position could hardly be clearer: our country deserves “justice, not vengeance; evidence, not allegations; and democracy, not political persecution.
