HGP Nightly News – The high-profile criminal proceedings tied to alleged attempts to alter the outcome of Guyana’s 2020 elections returned to court Tuesday, with hearings focusing on a contested piece of digital evidence involving one of the accused election officials.
The Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, presided over by acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty, conducted a voir dire to determine whether certain material linked to defendant Enrique Livan can be admitted during the trial.
Livan, who served as an Information Technology Officer at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) during the 2020 polls, is accused of involvement in the alleged “flash drive” operation said to have unfolded on March 5, 2020 at Ashmin’s Building in Georgetown amid efforts to disrupt the tabulation process.
Tuesday’s closed evidentiary hearing centred on Livan’s role and the circumstances surrounding the digital storage device. Under law, details of testimony given during a voir dire cannot be publicly reported, as the court must first rule on admissibility before the evidence can form part of the trial record.
Several investigators testified during the session, including Assistant Superintendent Komal Pitamber, Police Corporal Trevor Moore and Detective Inspector James. Livan also took the stand as part of the admissibility proceedings.
The broader trial, which resumed Monday after a pause of more than two months, involves nine defendants, among them former Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, former Deputy Chief Elections Officer Roxanne Myers, former Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, and former government minister Volda Lawrence.
Prosecutors allege the group conspired to manipulate Region Four vote tabulation in favour of the APNU+AFC coalition, an act that would have overturned the declared victory of the People’s Progressive Party.
