Jagdeo worried about compromising evidence as elections fraud case drags on
31 October 2024
The trial into fraud charges surrounding the 2020 General and Regional Elections is expected to continue on Friday, November 01, 2024, following several delays.
General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Wednesday said he is worried that critical evidence can be compromised during the prolonging of the trial which was last postponed from September due to the illness of the presiding Magistrate.
“Yes I am worried about the compromising of the evidence, etc., but the judiciary gets away with not saying anything,” he told reporters in response to questions about the trial.
Nine people including former Government Ministers and Opposition members along with former employees of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) are before the court for electoral fraud. The charges emanated from the 2020 General and Regional Elections which lasted for five months due to efforts to derail the results of the elections.
The trial commenced on July 29, and was set to run from then to September 13 before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly. However, the Magistrate proceeded on prolonged sick leave resulting in the case being pushed to October 31 which is the public holiday Deepavali, necessitating the court to once again reschedule the sitting to the following day.
Jagdeo said the government wants the trial to be completed as soon as possible to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“We just want to get on with the trial so that they have their day in court…we’re not responsible for that,” he said.
The PPP GS pointed out that attempts to rig the 2020 elections is supported by evidence of a Commission of Inquiry and therefore, the case should be straightforward.
“We as an executive, we have evidence supported by a COI of an attempt, publicly known to everyone, by individuals to steal the elections,” he emphasised.
Facing charges are former Returning Officer for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo; former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield; his former Deputy, Roxanne Myers; former People’s National Congress/ Reform (PNCR) Chairperson Volda Lawrence; PNCR activist Carol Smith-Joseph; and GECOM employees Sheffern February, Enrique Livan, Michelle Miller and Denise Babb-Cummings.
