GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — March 27, 2025
In what is being described by legal observers as a potentially game-changing moment in the ongoing 2020 elections court case, startling admissions made under cross-examination by AMCHAM elections observer Rosalinda Rasul have raised serious questions about the credibility, neutrality, and integrity of the 2020 electoral process, and the role of powerful political actors.
The revelations, made during Rasul’s testimony today, have sent shockwaves through Georgetown’s legal and political circles. Under sharp questioning from attorneys Nigel Hughes and Eusi Anderson, Rasul admitted to a series of actions and inconsistencies that the APNU+AFC coalition describes as “deeply troubling” and suggestive of “systematic efforts to influence the outcome of the election.”
One of the most damning disclosures was Rasul’s admission that she and up to 40 PPP agents were alone, unsupervised, and in possession of Statements of Poll (SOPs) in the Ashmin’s Building for nearly two hours, without any APNU+AFC representatives or GECOM officials present. She further acknowledged that several of the PPP agents had pens and pencils and that she did not maintain constant supervision over them. The unsupervised access to SOPs coincided with the time period after which GECOM’s count began deviating from what she described as previously consistent numbers.
Perhaps even more astonishing, Rasul, who repeatedly emphasized her role as an “independent” observer, admitted that she did not report these breaches to the police, despite rating them as the “most serious” criminal acts she had ever witnessed. Instead, she chose to report them fifteen days later to then-opposition attorney and current Attorney General Anil Nandlall, bypassing law enforcement entirely.
Rasul also confirmed that she was awarded four government jobs and a diplomatic passport after the PPP took office, despite never holding such positions under the previous administration or applying through any formal public process. She acknowledged that her current position as Head of the Diaspora Unit was never advertised and was offered directly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Observers were stunned when Rasul conceded that multiple members of her own organization, AMCHAM, also received diplomatic passports after the 2020 election, raising further questions about potential political patronage tied to the post-election period.
In a series of additional revelations, Rasul admitted that;
- She never received official training or certification from GECOM as an elections observer.
- She did not observe any of the defendants committing acts of forgery, conspiracy, or collusion.
- She gave sworn statements to PPP leaders, including Bharrat Jagdeo and Anil Nandlall, while claiming to act as a neutral observer.
- She contradicted her own testimony on several occasions regarding her presence at Ashmin’s Building and her communications with GECOM Chair Claudette Singh.
Despite these inconsistencies, Rasul stood by conflicting accounts and characterized some discrepancies as “a matter of interpretation.”
In response, the APNU+AFC coalition has called the revelations “devastating” and reiterated its long-standing demand for a clean voters’ list and an independent investigation into the conduct of elections observers and political operatives.
Legal analysts say that while the court will ultimately determine the legal impact of Rasul’s admissions, the political implications are already unfolding, especially as the country inches toward another election cycle. The testimony has reignited concerns about transparency, due process, and the role of powerful interests in shaping Guyana’s democracy.
The PPP has not yet responded to the admissions made during Thursday’s hearing.
As the courtroom drama continues, the nation watches closely, and for many, trust in the democratic process hangs in the balance.
