The trial into the 2020 General and Regional Elections continued on Monday with the first witness, Rosalinda Rasul, being cross-examined.
Rasul, who is currently the head of the Diaspora Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, served as a local observer for the American Chamber of Commerce of Guyana (AmCham) during the March 2020 elections.
The trial is being heard at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before acting Chief Magistrate, Faith McGusty.
During cross examination, Rasul was grilled by defense attorney, Nigel Hughes. The questions posed by Hughes stemmed from events which took place at the Ashmins building while Rasul was present there on March 4 and March 12.
Rasul admitted that the statement which she provided to Sophia Chote, the counsel for the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the elections, was amended and some information omitted before it was provided to the Police.
Elections fraud trial: Local observer says repeated objections during tabulation were ignored
Outside of the ongoing court trial, a Presidential CoI into the elections was conducted. That CoI featured numerous testimonies, including testimony from Rasul, and found that there were attempts to derail the 2020 General and Regional Elections.
Meanwhile, Rasul admitted she did not directly hear Region Four Returning Clairmont Mingo declare the results for District 4.
This was a contentious issue as Mingo is one of the Guyana Elections Commissions (GECOM) officers facing fraud charges for his role in attempts to derail the elections. He is accused of declaring false results for Region Four, which would have given APNU+AFC an election victory.
The attempts to delay the tabulation of votes cast in Region Four, exchanges and chaos during the false declaration of results by Mingo and the issuance of a court order were delved into. Rasul also faced questions about the whereabouts and possession of Statements of Poll (SOPs) and a bomb scare at the building.
“I refused to leave because I did not believe there was a bomb scarce.
“Other persons including party agents also remained in the building,” Rasul said in response to questions from Hughes.
After Hughes concluded, another defense attorney, Eusi Anderson started his cross examination. He focused on the period during which Rasul served as an observer and bought to the court attention affidavit in which she was named.
“I served as a local observer up to when my service was required…That was on March 13,” Rasul said in response to a question from Anderson.
Anderson, however, presented an affidavit, dated March 19, 2020, which seemed to suggest that Rasul was in contact with PPP representative Anil Nandlall after she completed her observer duties. That affidavit was admitted to the court as evidence.
Nine individuals are before the court in relation to electoral fraud. They are: former APNU+AFC government minister Volda Lawrence; former GECOM Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield; former GECOM Returning Officer for District Four Clairmont Mingo; former GECOM Deputy Chief Election Officer Roxanne Myers; APNU+AFC’s Chief Scrutineer Carol Smith Joseph; and former GECOM employees Sheffern February, Enrique Livan, Michelle Miller, and Denise Babb-Cummings.
They face nine conspiracy charges allegedly committed between Election Day (2 March 2020) and 2 August 2020.
It is alleged that the defendants conspired during the 2020 General and Regional Elections to defraud the electors of Guyana by declaring a false account of votes cast, and deny the PPP of a victory. The elections were stalled for five months until August 2020 when Irfaan Ali was sworn-in as President and the PPP took office.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The case finally commenced in July 2024 after years of delays. However, further setbacks occurred when presiding magistrate Leron Daly reported sick and extended his leave, necessitating the reassignment of the case.
The trial was adjourned to Tuesday, March 18, when Anderson is expected to continue cross examining Rasul.
The defence also requested for a visit to the locations being referred to during the presentation of evidence. The two sites would be Ashmins Building which housed the Guyana Elections Commission command center and the GECOM headquarters. A decision has not yet been made as to when this visit will be facilitated.
The post Elections fraud trial: Local observer grilled about SOPs, declaration during cross-examination appeared first on News Room Guyana.
