The trial concerning the 2020 General and Regional Elections resumed on Wednesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, with key testimony highlighting issues related to the use of a spreadsheet and the speed of the Statements of Poll (SOPs) tabulation process.
During the morning session, defense attorney Nigel Hughes challenged the qualifications of prosecution witness Bibi Aneishaw Mohamed, with a ruling on this matter scheduled for February 26.
In the afternoon, witness Sasenarine Singh continued his testimony, detailing irregularities he observed in the tabulation process in March 2020. Singh noted that the spreadsheet displayed during the proceedings did not include the registration numbers for the SOPs, which he deemed essential for verification. He struggled to keep pace with the rapid calling of figures, which he described as problematic.
Singh testified that former Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo directed GECOM staff, particularly Sherfane February, to continue calling out the numbers despite objections from observers. At one point, Singh reported a malfunction with the projector; however, the calling of numbers persisted.
He mentioned that numbers were being called in quick succession, stating, “If she was at Statement of Poll number 500, she moved from 501, 502, 503 within a minute.” Singh expressed frustration, explaining that he was unable to input data into his computer in tandem with verifying it against the SOPs.
“There was no way to enter data, no way to tabulate. It was just GECOM doing their own thing by calling numbers,” Singh remarked, describing the situation as “one-sided.”
After approximately half an hour, the projector was back online, and Singh later left the building, learning through the news that the election results had been announced. He also testified that he provided his recorded videos and phone to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for review, although technical issues arose when portions of these videos were played in court.
Additionally, Singh recalled that on March 4, 2020, former Deputy Chief Elections Officer Roxanne Myers informed the room that Mingo had fallen ill and was hospitalized. He noted that the PPP’s SOPs remained visible to him during the proceedings.
Upon Mingo’s return, he attempted to accelerate the tabulation process using a spreadsheet, which drew objections from party representatives and observers. Eventually, the process was paused after GECOM Chair Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh suggested a shift system to address staff exhaustion, leading the tabulation to resume the next day.
The trial involves nine individuals charged with conspiring to manipulate the election results in favor of APNU+AFC, aiming to deny 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 resulted in a five-month delay of the results, with PPP candidate Irfaan Ali sworn in as President on August 2, 2020. The trial is ongoing throughout the week.
