CHIEF Magistrate Faith McGusty on Friday continued examining hundreds of Statements of Poll (SoPs) from the contentious March 2020 General and Regional Elections, with the court moving through the documents in batches of 100 as part of ongoing proceedings in the election fraud trial. The exercise formed part of the prosecution’s presentation of documentary evidence in the matter, as the court reviewed records considered central to allegations stemming from the disputed elections.
During the proceedings, original copies of the SoPs from several electoral districts were tendered by the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Judicature, Sueanna Lovell.
The court was previously told the election documents had remained in her custody pursuant to an order issued by then Chief Justice Roxane George, SC.
The court heard that the SoPs had been securely held in safes following judicial directions, with the Registrar responsible for maintaining possession of the records.
As part of Friday’s proceedings, the Chief Magistrate methodically reviewed the election documents in batches of 100 to manage the substantial volume of material before the court, subsequently marking and admitting them into evidence.
The process saw prosecutors and defence attorneys following along as the records were identified and admitted into evidence.
The SoPs are viewed as significant pieces of evidence in the case, as they contain the vote counts recorded at polling stations during the 2020 elections. The prosecution has relied heavily on documentary material as it seeks to advance its case against the accused.
Earlier this week, Lovell testified that she received the documents pursuant to a court order and detailed how they were marked, secured in safes, and preserved, while also outlining the chain of custody and measures taken to ensure their safekeeping.
An estimated 661,378 eligible persons were registered to cast ballots at the 2,339 polling stations established across the country during the 2020 elections.
The election fraud trial centres on allegations surrounding the tabulation and declaration of results from the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections, a process that led to months of political uncertainty before a final declaration was made five months after the close of polls.
Proceedings are scheduled to resume from June 15 to 19, when the court is expected to continue reviewing election-related documents and hear further testimony from Registrar of the Supreme Court, Sueanna Lovell.
Those on trial include former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield; former Deputy CEO Roxanne Myers; former Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo; former Health Minister Volda Lawrence; and People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) member Carol Smith-Joseph. Also facing charges are former GECOM staffers Michelle Miller, Sheffern February, Enrique Livan, and Denise Babb-Cummings.
The defendants collectively face 19 charges, including conspiracy to defraud and misconduct in public office. Each has entered a plea of not guilty and was released on significant cash bail.
The prosecution, led by King’s Counsel Darshan Ramdhani, has argued that the defendants each played a “critical role” in attempts to inflate votes in favour of the then-incumbent A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) coalition while reducing votes for the People Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).
Initial results announced by Lowenfield had declared an APNU+AFC victory, with 171,825 votes against the PPP/C’s 166,343. However, after five months of litigation and a Caribbean Community (CARICOM)-supervised recount, the PPP/C was declared the winner with 233,336 votes to APNU+AFC’s 217,920, paving the way for Dr. Irfaan Ali’s swearing-in as President on August 2, 2020. The fallout from the election controversy led to the termination of Lowenfield, Myers, and Mingo’s contracts at GECOM in August 2021.
The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the events of the 2020 General and Regional Elections have found that there were collusion and collaboration between senior GECOM officials to divert votes to the APNU +AFC instead of safeguarding and preserving the integrity of the electoral system.
