– As elections fraud trial resumes
-by Kimberly Giddings
Former Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn has defended objections raised during the Region Four tabulation exercise following the 2020 General and Regional Elections, maintaining that concerns over transparency and the accuracy of the results prompted the objections.
Continuing his testimony under cross-examination as the elections fraud trial resumed today, Robeson Benn said party representatives were seeking a clear and accurate presentation of the results at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) headquarters.
He explained that Statements of Poll (SOPs) were projected onto a white bed sheet, but the figures were blurred and difficult to read. The bed sheet was also moving in the wind, further affecting visibility.
Benn testified that representatives of the People’s Progressive Party and A New and United Guyana raised concerns about discrepancies between their records and figures presented by then Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo.
He further alleged that APNU+AFC representative Carol Smith-Joseph threatened him, GECOM commissioners and others with violence, contributing to disruptions during the exercise.
Under questioning by defence attorney Dexter Todd, Benn maintained that Smith-Joseph had no authority to threaten anyone involved in the process.
He told the court that police officers witnessed the alleged threats and that some international observers subsequently left the exercise.
Following several hours of heated exchanges between Benn and Todd, his cross-examination was deferred.
Meanwhile, defence attorney Ronald Daniels questioned police handwriting expert Ameer Mohamed about his qualifications, despite the court having accepted him as an expert witness more than a month ago.
Earlier, Police Inspector Rushell Peters returned to the witness stand after Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty issued a warrant for her arrest following her absence on Tuesday.
However, the defence posed only three questions before her cross-examination and re-examination were completed.
The trial was adjourned untilNovember 16.
