Day 19 of Election Fraud Trial: Witness Struggles to Identify Key Voices in Recordings
By Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News
Georgetown, Guyana – On Day 19 of the ongoing election fraud trial, prosecution witness Jonathan Yearwood returned to the stand, where 14 audio recordings he captured on his mobile phone during the 2020 election command center operations were played in court.
Despite being the person who made the recordings, Yearwood repeatedly told the court he was unable to identify most of the voices heard in the clips. However, he did confirm recognizing the voices of defendants Dennis “Bob” Cummings, Keith Lowenfield, and Clairmont Mingo in specific segments.
Notably, Yearwood attempted to re-identify Cummings in court, having previously misidentified him, which triggered objections from the defense. Magistrate Faith McGusty ruled that any re-identification at this stage would carry little evidentiary weight, noting that such actions after an initial error are not generally permitted.
The court also dealt with an objection from the defense regarding the admissibility of the recordings. Defense attorneys had argued that the chain of custody was compromised, citing potential tampering by Yearwood’s wife. However, Magistrate McGusty overruled the objection, stating there was no evidence of a break in the chain and describing the tampering claim as “purely speculative.”
Under cross-examination by defense attorney Yusef Anderson, Yearwood denied discussing the identity of Cummings outside of court. He did, however, share that when he entered his office earlier in the week, his senior manager had jokingly asked how he could fail to recognize someone he had seen before.
Due to time constraints, Yearwood’s testimony was not concluded. He has been instructed to return to court on July 28 to continue his evidence.
The election fraud case involves multiple former GECOM officials and political operatives facing 19 charges related to electoral misconduct in connection with the March 2020 general elections, which were highly controversial.
