Elections fraud trial: Defence trying to implicate observers in elections rigging – Nandlall 

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall has described the defence’s arguments in the ongoing 2020 elections fraud trial as “a different level of absurdity”.

He contended that the defence is implying that the observers at the polls are the ones who attempted to alter the elections results.

The trial is ongoing at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. For the past two days, the defence had the opportunity to cross-examine a witness, Rosalinda Rasul, who was an observer for the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham)-Guyana at the 2020 polls.

During his weekly programme “Issues in the News” on Tuesday evening, the AG noted that from the cross-examination, it appears as if the defence is trying to create an impression that the observers attempted to rig the elections.

“I get the clear impression that the defence counsel’s theory is that the observers who observe the elections attempted to interfere with the results. In other words, it is the observers who attempted to rig the elections, not [Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont] Mingo and the PNC (People’s National Congress Reform),” Nandlall posited.

Among the observers at the 2020 elections were the Carter Center, the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Commonwealth, and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Mingo along with 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 are facing charges relating to attempts to derail the results of the elections five years ago.

Nandlall said the arguments being submitted by the defence during the trial are even more absurd than the previous narrative emanating from the opposition camp, which stated that the APNU+AFC were victims of fraud at the 2020 polls.

“If you think that the PNC’s narrative…is absurd, that they were the victims of fraud, and they won the 2020 elections, you follow the lawyers who are defending the charges, follow their cross examination,” he urged citizens.

The trial will continue on Thursday, March 20, 2025. The defence attorneys include Nigel Hughes and Eusi Anderson.