Election fraud trial put on hold as magistrate falls sick

Aug 07, 2024 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

Kaieteur News – The Prosecution and Defence teams for the election fraud case were informed by Senior Magistrate Leron Daly on Tuesday that the trial will be further adjourned to mid-September.

The election fraud trial, which commenced last week and was briefly adjourned after three days, will resume on September 17, 2024 due to the presiding magistrate’s illness.

Originally, the case was set to resume on Monday, but the Prosecution and Defence teams were notified over the weekend of the magistrate’s health issue. The new plan was to restart proceedings on Wednesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. However, one of the defendant’s lawyers informed this publication that Magistrate Daly remains ill and will be on sick leave for the next 30 days.

So far in the trial, only two prosecution witnesses have testified, with one still incomplete. During the last court session on July 31, Attorney-at-law Darshan Ramdhani KC, who is the lead prosecutor in the election fraud case, raised concerns about the court’s omission of what he described as ‘credible evidence’ from witnesses. The prosecutor requested that witnesses should retake the stand to reaffirm their statements, allowing the prosecution to demonstrate why these omitted statements are credible and relevant to the case.

The Defence attorneys Darren Wayne, Eusi Anderson and Ronald Daniels objected Ramdhani statements, suggesting a potential conflict of interest between the prosecutor and the witnesses. They also added that other defence attorneys should make submissions regarding Ramdhani’s requests before a decision is made.  After the back-and-forth arguments between both sides, Magistrate Daly indicated she needs time to consider the matters, hence the matter was adjourned to August 5, 2024.

The trial involves nine defendants facing 19 conspiracy charges, including former GECOM Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield, former District Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, former Deputy Chief Election Officer Roxanne Myers, former Health Minister Volda Lawrence, APNU+AFC Chief Scrutineer Carol Smith Joseph, and former GECOM employees Sheffern February, Enrique Liven, Michelle Miller, and Denise Babb-Cummings.

The charge alleges that Lowenfield, Mingo, and Myers, between March 2 and August 2, 2020, conspired with Lawrence, Joseph, February, Liven, Cummings, Miller, and others to defraud the electors of Guyana by presenting false votes from the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections.

• Attorney-at-law Darshan Ramdhani, Carol Smith Joseph, Election fraud trial, postponed, Senior Magistrate Leron Daly