GECOM Chair’s decision to share Coalition’s list of voter fraud with AG improper – MP Forde

The Chairwoman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (retired) Claudette Singh has agreed to share with the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, a document she received from the Coalition party highlighting instances of voter fraud during the March 2020 General and Regional Election. Importantly, the sharing of that information is regarded as highly “irregular”, says Shadow Minister of Legal Affairs, Roysdale Forde S.C., since Nandlall is a litigant in ongoing petition cases relating to that same electoral process.

Forde, during a press conference today, said that Justice Singh’s move solidifies the Coalition’s claim that she is siding with the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

“True to form and consistent with her collusion with the PPP/C commissioners on every issue, Chairperson Claudette Singh voted to release the material to the Attorney General, demonstrating again her refusal to act in a manner that is independent and impartial, both in reality and in the public perception. Moreover, her vote to release the material whilst there is an ongoing Election Petition, in which these issues are before the Courts, is unacceptable and improper. Her total disregard even to appear neutral and professional makes her continued stint as GECOM Chair untenable. She must now resign,” the parliamentarian said.

Forde added that there is no “professional underpinning” or “identifiable explanation” why such information must be handed to the AG. He insists that it is GECOM, not the AG or the Executive that must conduct the process to verify the list that the Coalition submitted. But the AG has said on numerous occasions that the document will be handed over to the relevant law enforcement agencies for their attention.

Forde also commented on President Dr Irfaan Ali’s move to appoint a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the events that took place during the controversial electoral process. He said that while the president has the power to appoint a CoI into any matter, it was “improper” of him to establish such a body amid active court matters that address the same subject matter.

The list that GECOM will provide the AG consists of over 1,000 instances of voter fraud including ghost voting.