Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Sherod Avery Duncan was on Monday released on $200,000 bail after being slapped with a cybercrime offence charge. Principle Magistrate Judy Latchman granted heard the matter at the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts where Duncan pleaded not guilty to the charge.
It is alleged that on January 11, 2021, without legal or lawful justification or excuse, Duncan, 42, used a computer system to publish electronic data about Aneal Giddings, 36, the Information Technology Officer at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), with the intent to humiliate, embarrass and cause him emotional distress.
Duncan, who was represented by Attorneys-at-Law Khemraj Ramjattan, Nigel Hughes, Narissa Leander, and Amanza Walton-Desir, will return to court on February 10.
Duncan, a father of three, was arrested last week Thursday by ranks of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown.
On January 12, at about 11:00hrs, Giddings of 731 Section ‘A’ Block X Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD) reported to the Police that Duncan made several derogatory statements about him during his Facebook programme ‘In the Ring’.
The GECOM employee complained that the Opposition MP referred to him as ‘jagabat’, ‘trench crapo’ amongst other disrespectful names which caused him significant emotional stress and humiliation.
The PNCR- the largest party in the Opposition APNU+AFC has since condemned the arrest of Duncan, noting that it is an “unwarranted” and unlawful deprivation of his rights and freedom of expression.
The AFC had also called on the international community and civil society bodies to denounce Duncan’s arrest.