APNU+AFC’s Mahipaul admits Coalition using hearsay to make objections and has no evidence

Outspoken agent for the APNU+AFC coalition Ganesh Mahipaul on Tuesday admitted that he was using information received from other people to raise objections that persons who migrated voted in the March 02, 2020 elections.

Mahipaul told the media outside the recount site that he had personally made objections on the basis of migration but when repeatedly asked by reporters to adequately substantiate his claims he would only say that “the time for evidence will come, it is not that time as yet.”

Strangely, Mahipaul also said that at each counting station the option presents itself for the provision of evidence when making the observations.

Notwithstanding, he failed to provide any evidence to support the allegations. He would only promise that the evidence will be provided if requested.

Pressed further for evidence on his claims, 14 days after the recount started and in the face of an increasing number of objections made, Mahipaul admitted that he hadn’t the physical evidence to support his claims.

“I am not claiming death, I don’t make the claim, I objected to migration… I don’t have access to immigration record,” he told reporters.

But just minutes before that, he told reporters: “I have backed up my allegation of migration… the migration record will show that.”

In response, a reporter asked: “with hearsay?” to which Mahipaul said: “yes, I’m not going to dispute hearsay.”

The APNU+AFC counting agent further noted that the party is making its objections from information received from family members of persons who were not in Guyana but are recorded as voted.

He wrapped up his comments on that issue by saying that the coalition will continue to make objections based on the “fieldwork” it has done and, in the event, that the Guyana Elections Commission requests the evidence to support those claims it will do so.

“GECOM will decide what they will do with the observation; if GECOM says they want evidence then we will provide the evidence,” he added.

He acknowledged that other persons in his party have been objecting to dead voters and that the APNU+AFC has over 100 death certificates in its possession.

“I have copies of death certificates but in order for me to solidify if that person voted, the supervisor of the station will have to indicate that the person voted based on serial number,” he added.

The Coalition agent said at least one death certificate was presented to GECOM by the APNU+AFC and he promised to discuss the possibility of making that evidence public.