Day 24: Election Fraud Trial Continues with Cross-Examination of Key Witnesses
By Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News.
Day 24 of the election fraud trial continued on Wednesday before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McKie at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
Presidential candidate of the Citizenship Initiative (TCI) in the 2020 General Elections, Rondha-Ann Lam, returned to the witness box where she faced cross-examination by defense attorneys Nigel Hughes, Dexter Todd, and Ronald Daniels.
Lam, who was accredited as a counting agent during the elections, admitted she could not confirm whether the numbers read by GECOM officials were inconsistent with documents in her possession. She also acknowledged that she had never seen a formal publication of Region Four’s results by Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, nor did she mention any such publication in her statement.
Under questioning, Lam conceded that she had received no training from GECOM on the electoral process and agreed that none of the defendants could have created the discrepancies she claimed to observe in the Statements of Poll (SOPs). When asked if she had evidence of a conspiracy to commit fraud, she admitted she would not have been privy to such arrangements as a candidate.
Lam also agreed that all defendants acted in their legal capacity during tabulation and recount processes, and further conceded that submitting a documented record of discrepancies would have been helpful, but none was provided.
In the afternoon session, Jonathan Yearwood of A New and United Guyana (ANUG) returned to the stand for cross-examination. Yearwood admitted he never lodged a formal complaint with GECOM on behalf of his party. He further conceded he could not identify who created the spreadsheet he relied on, nor verify the source of its data.
Pressed by defense attorney Darren Wade, Yearwood acknowledged he never witnessed the defendants conspiring to falsify election results. He also confirmed he had never seen former minister Volda Lawrence tabulating SOPs or instructing anyone to alter figures.
The trial, which centers on allegations of attempted electoral fraud during the March 2020 elections, continues before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
