As the trial into the March 2020 elections continues, proceedings moved beyond the courtroom to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Headquarters on High Street, Georgetown, on Thursday with major focus placed on the use of a bedsheet to project Statements of Poll (SOPs).
The GECOM headquarters has been described in court as a critical “locus” in the proceedings.
Those present during the visit include acting Chief Magistrate, Faith McGusty, who is presiding over the trial, the defendants, lawyers, prosecutors and a few witnesses including Sonia Parag, Jonathan Yearwood, and Rosalinda Rasul.
The aim of the visit was to give both sides- the defence and prosecution- a firsthand view of the physical space referenced repeatedly throughout the trial.
During the visit, Parag gave a detailed account of events which unfolded at the location.
Among the scenes referenced at the GECOM headquarters were the bedsheet used to project SOPs, the claim that SOP registration numbers were not displayed during projection, and the confrontation between Yearwood and Smith Joseph.
Parag pointed out where she, observers and GECOM agents were positioned. She noted that when she entered the area there were several chairs already placed, including one where one of the defendants, Carol Smith- Joseph was seated. Based on her identification, measurements were taken within the room.
Parag also helped identify the area where a bedsheet was used to display SOPs, which was also measured during the visit.
Rosalinda Rasul was then called on during the site visit and pointed out her position in the room. She identified a table where figures were being interchanged and called, referencing two other defendants, Denise Babb-Cummings and Sherfane February. She also pointed to an area where former Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo was present for a short time.
Jonathan Yearwood also gave his account at the scene. He pointed out where he was seated while observing a screen made out of a bedsheet, onto which SOPs were being projected. He identified where the projector was placed. Yearwood also pointed out the area where the confrontation between him and Smith-Joseph took place, indicating where both were positioned and where she emerged from.
The exercise triggered strong exchanges between legal teams.
Following the visit, defence attorney, Dexter Todd said everything being described at the site was new in terms of layout and description, arguing that the prosecution was attempting to reconstruct the scene from memory years later.
He said none of the witnesses had provided precise measurements in their earlier statements and that what was happening was “recreating a scene from nothing.”
“Now almost and over six year years passed, you have a situation where the witnesses are revisiting the scene and they are trying to of course reply on memory to reconstruct the scene,” Todd said.
Todd also said this would present a challenge and described the case as “a pure show,” adding that if investigators had been careful, they should have visited the scene immediately after statements were taken to properly reconstruct it.
Meanwhile, Prosecutor Latchmie Rahamat told reporters the visit was intended to help the court understand the layout and evidence at the end of the case. She said it was important for the magistrate, as the finder of fact, to understand the layout and specific locations where witnesses were present so the evidence could be properly assessed.
Rahamat said the application for the site visit was made by the state and that all witnesses who attended spoke about being at the location. She added that trials are “very fluid”, noting there are more than 10 witnesses yet to testify.
“So we cannot estimate how long it will take….but what we do know is that we have witnesses available and so when we come back in May we will have witnesses available and it is the prosecution’s hope that we would be able to complete those witnesses in the shortest space of time,” Rahamat said.
The case was adjourned to May 18, 2026.
The post 2020 Elections trial: Spreadsheet saga in focus as Court visits GECOM headquarters appeared first on News Room Guyana.
