Elections fraud trial deferred until September

Years after it finally commenced and after just three hearings, the fraud trial into the 2020 General and Regional elections has been adjourned until mid-September.

Sources told the News Room that presiding Magistrate Leron Daly, is currently on medical leave.

As such, the trial has been adjourned to September 17, 2024.

This development comes after it was reported that the Magistrate was unwell on Monday. That caused the trial to be adjourned to Wednesday morning.

The long-delayed trial finally commenced on July 29, 2024- years since the controversial March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

At that hearing, a summary of the case was presented by King Counsel Dharshan Ramdhani followed by testimony from Minister of Local Government and Regional development, Sonia Parag.

Parag is the first witness in the trial. She detailed the ‘chaos and shouting’ which unfolded to prevent declaration of fake results.

Her testimony continued on day two. The third hearing, which saw the second witness, Rosalina Rasul taking the stand, came to a the last hearing came to an abrupt adjournment after issues primarily focused on the admissibility of evidence, the accuracy of court records and persons who are not defendants in the case, were raised.

This resulted in a section of Parag’s statement was struck from being admitted into evidence in the case after concerns were raised about her mentioning the names of an individual who is not a defendant in the case.

This happened after much delays, which saw lawyers in a banter before a decision was taken by the Magistrate to exclude this section of information.

When the case was expected to resume on Monday, it was once again delayed because Magistrate Daly was unwell.

A series of witnesses are expected to testify in the trial which was initially run for a period of six weeks.

Nine persons 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 Liven, Michelle Miller and Denise Babb-Cummings.

They face nine conspiracy charges which are said to have been committed between Elections day (March 2, 2020) and to August 2, 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.