2020 elections trial resumes

The trial into the 2020 General and Regional Elections resumed on Monday following a recess, with Sasenarine Singh continuing his testimony.

Singh, who previously testified in February, had raised concerns about the use of a spreadsheet and the pace at which Statements of Poll (SOPs) were called during the tabulation process.

On Monday morning, when the trial resumed before acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty, the Court attempted to continue playing video recordings taken by Singh during his time at the Ashmins Building. The tabulation for District Four was conducted in this building.

However, the proceedings were briefly interrupted due to difficulties encountered while playing one of the discs. Despite the technical issues, some of the videos were played, with Singh identifying individuals and explaining the events captured.

In one recording, Singh described a “big” commotion in the District Four tabulation room, noting that observers were present and a heated debate was unfolding, with former Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield at the centre of it.

In another video, Singh pointed to members of the diplomatic community meeting with then Foreign Affairs Minister Karen Cummings.

Singh also told the court that on August 28, 2020, he had a confrontation with former Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo. Singh further confirmed that he was part of the team that conducted the national recount process.

During cross-examination, attorney Nigel Hughes and Eusi Anderson posed several questions to Singh. Anderson focused on Singh’s previous roles and his current capacity as an ambassador, in particular.

The trial currently has several voire dires, which are being used to determine the admissibility of key pieces of evidence.

During Monday proceeding, the prosecution also informed that court submissions some submissions of the voire dire proceedings will be made on Friday.

Nine individuals are currently before the court charged with conspiring to manipulate the results of the March 2020 General and Regional Elections in favour of the APNU+AFC coalition, with the intention of denying victory to the PPP.

Among those charged are former government minister Volda Lawrence, former Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, former Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, and former Deputy Chief Elections Officer Roxanne Myers.

The controversy surrounding the March 2020 elections led to a five-month delay in the declaration of results, before PPP candidate Irfaan Ali was sworn in as President on August 2, 2020.

The trial is set to continue on April 24, 2026.