Walrond did not commit “any fraud” – Jagdeo

Even though Minister of Tourism Oneidge Walrond was sworn in before she relinquished her US citizenship, she did not commit “any fraud” says to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo. His comment came as he criticised the opposition’s move to legally challenge the minister’s appointment as a member of Parliament. Jagdeo, in fact described the public criticism of failure of declare her citizenship as a “storm in a tea cup”.

In Certificate of Renunciation released by the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Minister signed the testimony to relinquish her citizenship on the 4^th September 2020, three days after she took the oath as a member of parliament. A stamp on the loss of nationality is dated 8^th September 2020. On Friday, Jagdeo maintained that that the minister did not commit any fraud since according to him Walrond was not on the PPP/C 2020 list of candidates, “she did not sign a declaration form,” Jagdeo said referring to the Declaration form candidates have to sign upon submission of the parties’ list to the Guyana Elections Commission.

Minister of Tourism Oneidge Walrond

Jagdeo said that Walrond went to the US Embassy and “got her certificate only a few days after she was sworn in”. Waldron has not publicly spoken on this issue following the release of certificate this morning. She had previously provided a timeline of her renunciation, but that timeline raised more questions about the time when she took the oath as a member of parliament. The Vice President ruled out the minister taking the oath again, :she is not an American,” he said.

The APNU/AFC coalition plans to challenge the Minister’s appointment. Persons who hold dual citizenship cannot sit in the National Assembly since would be a violation of the Guyana constitution.