Minister Sonia Parag testified in court about discrepancies in the 2020 electoral results during a high-profile fraud case. She highlighted mismatched data between the official Statements of Poll and figures provided by GECOM staff, suggesting irregularities favored the incumbent coalition. The ongoing trial involves multiple key accused, facing charges related to election manipulation.
In a significant turn of events during the high-profile election fraud case, Minister of Local Government Sonia Parag testified in court, expressing serious concerns about discrepancies in electoral data. As the trial resumed under Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty at Georgetown Court, Parag, who was a polling agent for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) in the 2020 General and Regional Elections, recounted her observations during the controversial vote tabulation process in Region Four, and, well, it was a lot to take in.
On the night of March 4, 2020, Parag was at the Region Four Command Centre when she noted significant inconsistencies between the numbers presented by GECOM staff and the official Statements of Poll (SOPs) she had on hand. According to her testimony, Election Officer Michelle Miller, also implicated in the case, read figures from a spreadsheet that did not correlate with the SOPs—this was alarming to Parag.
“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 in court. She further asked Miller to repeat the number and asserted that it still did not align with her records. Alarmingly, the skewed figures consistently favored the then-ruling A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition, prompting overwhelming concern.
“The numbers that were being called by Michelle Miller were actually adding votes for the APNU+AFC and deducting votes for the PPP,” she told Special Prosecutor Latchmie Rahamat. Parag emphasized her objections to the box results read between 4001 and 4021, citing discrepancies in every instance. Fellow agent and now Minister Kwame McCoy also echoed her concerns, which only heightened her worries about the ongoing tabulation process.
During her testimony, Parag mentioned that there was a demand from party agents to revert to using SOPs instead of the contentious spreadsheet. Shortly after, then Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield entered the premises. Parag recounted his assertion that the spreadsheet figures aligned with the SOPs, which was firmly contested, showcasing the tensions present during this critical time.
It was not until Teni Housty, the President of the Guyana Bar Association, intervened with pertinent electoral laws that Lowenfield acquiesced to bring in the SOPs for verification. Once implemented, the figures reportedly corresponded, albeit the tabulation process faced severe setbacks. The Election Officer’s pace slowed considerably due to purported fatigue, halting the entire vote count.
Continuing her detailed account of events, Parag indicated that the next day—March 5—the tabulation did not resume, despite promises from GECOM. Instead, Deputy Chief Election Officer Roxanne Myers ordered the clearing of the tabulation center due to a bomb threat. Parag, however, dismissed the alarm as unfounded, indicating her steadfastness in the process.
Eventually, she noted that Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, who had apparently been ill, later attempted to announce election results regardless of the incomplete status of the counting process. “By the time he said that, the entire room including myself jumped up and objected… you cannot do this, the tabulation exercise is not completed for Region 4,” she vividly recalled.
This testimony adds to a growing pile of evidence as the trial progresses. The prosecution is set to call its third witness, Kian Jabour, today. Notably, the case spans several key figures, including former Chief Election Officer Lowenfield and others who face a total of 19 charges related to alleged conspiracies to distort Guyana’s election results from 2020. It is also worth mentioning that delays have persisted in the trial, with prior magistrates facing health issues, forcing a restart of proceedings under Magistrate McGusty.
The courtroom testimony of Minister Sonia Parag has shed light on major discrepancies during the 2020 electoral tabulation process, igniting further scrutiny on GECOM’s handling of the situation. Her statements indicate a systematic irregularity that allegedly favored the ruling coalition, raising serious questions about the integrity of the electoral process. As the trial unfolds, with key figures implicated, the quest for justice in this case becomes increasingly crucial for the future of Guyana’s democratic framework.
Original Source: www.stabroeknews.com
