The trial stemming from the controversial March 2020 General and Regional Elections resumed this week at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court after a two-month adjournment, with Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty continuing to oversee the high-profile proceedings.
Nine individuals are before the court on conspiracy-related charges tied to the tabulation of votes in Region Four. Among the accused are former Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield and former minister Volda Lawrence. Prosecutors allege there was a coordinated effort to unlawfully influence the outcome of the elections.
As hearings resumed under established case-management guidelines, the court continued receiving evidence from Sasenarine Singh, who served as a People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) agent during the 2020 polls.
Singh recounted events inside the Region Four tabulation centre on March 4, 2020. He testified that former Deputy Chief Elections Officer Roxanne Myers informed those present that Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo had fallen ill. Singh said he observed Mingo being escorted from the building on a stretcher but could not say whether he was transported by ambulance.
He told the court that party agents, international and local observers, and staff of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) remained inside the tabulation room, which he said was continuously occupied.
According to Singh, Myers later indicated that Mingo had been hospitalised. The following day, Mingo returned and proposed accelerating the tabulation process by having election staff extract figures from Statements of Poll (SOPs) and compile them into a spreadsheet for presentation. Singh testified that the suggestion was met with loud objections from those present.
He further recalled that GECOM Chair, retired Justice Claudette Singh, urged that consideration be given to exhausted staff and proposed a temporary pause to secure additional personnel. The tabulation was subsequently halted, with discussions about implementing shift work to process approximately 879 remaining SOPs.
The 2020 elections triggered months of political tension and legal challenges, delaying the official declaration of results for five months. The impasse ended on August 2, 2020, when President Irfaan Ali was sworn into office.
