Minister Sonia Parag testified in court that vote totals from a spreadsheet did not match the official Statements of Poll during the contentious vote tabulation process for Region Four. The discrepancies, reportedly benefiting the APNU+AFC coalition, were a focal point of her testimony. The election fraud case has significant implications, involving several key election officials and has experienced considerable delays in proceedings.
In a significant development in the high-profile election fraud case against several key figures in the 2020 General and Regional Elections, Minister of Local Government Sonia Parag provided testimony that raised serious concerns about discrepancies between reported vote totals and official Statements of Poll (SOPs). The proceedings resumed yesterday at the Georgetown Court before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty. Parag, who acted as a polling agent for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), detailed her observations during the contentious vote tabulation process for Region Four.
Testifying about events on the night of March 4, Parag indicated that upon assembling at the Region Four Command Centre, she observed glaring discrepancies emerging between the figures being announced by GECOM personnel and the SOPs in her possession. Particularly, she recounted how Election Officer Michelle Miller, who is among the individuals accused in this case, was calling out numbers from a spreadsheet that consistently did not align with the official documents. “From Box 4001, the number that Miss Michelle Miller called, I compared it with the number that I had… and it did not match,” Parag stated.
Parag asserted that in addition to her own observations, she noted that the numbers being called disproportionately benefited the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition while adversely affecting the PPP. “The numbers that were being called by Michelle Miller was actually adding votes for the APNU+AFC and deducting votes for the PPP,” she testified to Special Prosecutor Latchmie Rahamat.
While she objected to each box of votes read between 4001 and 4021, she was not alone in expressing concern. Fellow PPP/C agent, and current Minister Kwame McCoy, was also present, raising objections to the tabulation. An appeal was made for the use of the SOPs in lieu of the contentious spreadsheet, at which point then Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield entered the room. Despite his insistence that the spreadsheet results matched the SOPs, Parag maintained that there was no alignment, prompting a firm rejection from those present. Lowenfield, noted as one of the accused, eventually ordered that the SOPs be utilized, a move that led to coincidence in the results.
However, the process faced further obstacles. Parag described how the vote tabulation procedure slowed drastically due to the Election Officer’s claimed fatigue, ultimately halting altogether. She testified that on the following day, March 5, the promised resumption of tabulation did not take place. Instead, she said Deputy Chief Election Officer Roxanne Myers, another accused in the case, ordered the evacuation of the tabulation centre due to a purported bomb threat. Parag remained at the location for the full day, expressing skepticism about the legitimacy of the scare.
Later, Parag recounted a dramatic moment when Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo tried to declare election results without the process being completed. “By the time he said that, the entire room including myself jumped up and objected,” she noted. Mingo is also facing charges in the case. Parag firmly asserted that the tabulation exercise was incomplete at that point.
Earlier in the proceedings, AMCHAM observer Rosalinda Rasul concluded her testimony after several days of questioning. The trial is set to move forward today, with the prosecution expected to call their third witness, Kian Jabour.
This case encompasses a wide array of accused, including former Chief Election Officer Lowenfield, former Deputy Chief Election Officer Myers, Mingo, Opposition MP Volda Lawrence, and other appointed officials, all facing 19 charges of conspiracy to alter the results from Guyana’s contentious 2020 elections. The trial has faced significant delays, initially starting before a different magistrate who later became ill obliging a start from scratch under Magistrate McGusty.
The testimony of Minister Sonia Parag in the election fraud case highlighted serious discrepancies during the vote tabulation process for the 2020 General Elections, specifically related to the claims of manipulated figures favoring the APNU+AFC coalition. The proceedings have seen numerous challenges, including claims of fatigue among election officials and the unexpected halt due to a bomb threat. As the trial unfolds, it is under scrutiny with numerous individuals charged in connection to the alleged conspiracies surrounding these elections.
Original Source: www.stabroeknews.com
