Elections trial resumes; concerns raised about Lawrence absence

The trial into the March 2020 elections resumed on Monday after a two weeks adjournment with a key witness, Bibi Aneishaw Mohamed continuing and concluding her sworn testimony.

The proceedings resumed after the last hearing which was held on April 30.

On that date, the defence and prosecution teams, along with the defendants, visited the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) headquarters at High Street, Kingston, Georgetown.

The GECOM headquarters has been described in court as a critical “locus” in the case. Prior to that visit, the court had also visited the Ashmins Building, which housed the GECOM command center during the controversial 2020 elections.

The trial is ongoing before acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty.

On Monday, Mohamed returned to the witness stand where she was cross-examined by defence attorneys Dexter Todd, Darren Wade and Eusi Anderson before wrapping up her testimony.

Concerns were also raised in court over the absence of one of the defendants, Volda Lawrence.

The court was informed by a fellow defendant, Carol Smith- Joseph that Lawrence was unwell, prompting the magistrate to request that a medical certificate be submitted.

The trial is set to continue on Wednesday, May 19, with more than 10 additional witnesses still expected to testify.

Nine individuals are currently before the court charged with conspiring to manipulate the election results in favour of APNU+AFC, allegedly in an attempt to deny victory to the PPP.

Those charged include Lawrence, former Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, former Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, and former Deputy Chief Elections Officer Roxanne Myers, among others.

The controversy surrounding the March 2020 elections delayed the declaration of results for five months, until PPP candidate Irfaan Ali was sworn in as President on August 2, 2020.