At least one employee of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has been detained as police investigate the alleged disappearance of approximately $5 million in cash intended for polling day staff in Region Four.
The Guyana Police Force confirmed on Tuesday that an Assistant Accounts Clerk from GECOM’s Finance Department was taken into custody after detectives found a portion of the missing funds in his possession. Deputy Commissioner of Police and Head of the Criminal Investigations Department, Wendell Blanhum, described the recovered amount as a “small fraction” of the total.
Blanhum stated that the investigation remains active, with several other employees from the Finance Department currently assisting with enquiries into the alleged theft, which is believed to have occurred between September 15 and 16 at GECOM’s headquarters at the corner of Barrack and Fort Streets, Kingston.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the issue was brought to the attention of law enforcement last Thursday when discrepancies were uncovered during an internal reconciliation of petty cash. Staff reportedly could not account for all the funds set aside in packeted payments for polling day workers in Region Four.
As part of the investigation, multiple Finance Department officials were questioned at both the Kitty and Brickdam Police Stations. Most were released on $50,000 bail after being held for up to 72 hours—the maximum detention period permitted without a court order. The Assistant Accounts Clerk remains in custody.
To date, no formal charges have been laid.
GECOM had allocated payments of $100,000 for Presiding Officers, $80,000 for Assistant Presiding Officers, and $70,000 for Poll Clerks and other election staff involved in the recent electoral process.
The case continues to unfold as investigators work to determine the full extent of the loss and to identify those responsible.
