Election fraud Trial: Defence grills observer on former AG Basil Williams’ role in undermining 2020 polls

The trial into the election fraud case continued on Thursday with American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham)-Guyana observer, Rosalina Rasul, returning to the stand to be further cross examined by the defence, which sought to ascertain the role of former Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Basil Williams, in undermining the democratic will of the Guyanese people during the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

Rasul, who currently Heads the Diaspora Unit at the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry but had acted as an observer for AmCham during the 2020 polls and the contentious events that followed, was asked about events she had witnessed during the tabulation process at Ashmin’s Building, which was used as the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) command centre, where she had testified that former electoral officials had deviated from the process.
Under cross examination during the morning session at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty, Rasul mentioned statements were made by Williams – a People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Executive, who was at the time the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister in the then A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Coalition Administration.
While these remarks were not revealed in court, Defence Attorney Eusi Anderson put to the witness whether Williams’ statement implicates him and/or his party and/or the government in undermining the democratic will of the people of Guyana, to which she responded yes.
The defense counsel further grilled the observer on whether this information was reported. Rasul indicated while she did not make a police report since it was not her place as an observer to do so, this information was related to the prosecution and was also disclosed during the 2020 Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the 2020 elections.

Anderson then went onto put to the witness, which she accepted, that while the then Attorney General’s words were the same as the actions of former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield and the other defendants, the outcomes are different – that is, Williams is being free while Lowenfield and the others are facing electoral fraud charges.
Nevertheless, Thursday’s hearing continued with Rasul being further grilled by the defence counsels, including Nigel Hughes, on amendments to her initial statement during the elections CoI.
Attorney Hughes returned in the afternoon session to further question the witness. Earlier this week, Rasul had been questioned by Hughes about her role as an independent and neutral election observer and the events that took place at the Ashmins Building.
Rasul is expected to be further cross examined by the defence counsels when the trial continues today at 09:30h.
Meanwhile, the prosecution already has another witness ready to the take the stand once Rasul’s cross examination is completed.
Nine persons are before the court in this case, which pertains to the March 2020 General and Regional Elections. They include former Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo; former Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield and his former Deputy, Roxanne Myers.
Also charged are former People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Chairperson Volda Lawrence; PNCR activist Carol Smith-Joseph; and GECOM employees Sheffern February, Enrique Livan, Michelle Miller and Denise Babb-Cummings.
Together, these nine defendants confront 33 counts of election-related fraud, focused on alleged efforts to manipulate voting results. Initially overseen by Senior Magistrate Leron Daly, the trial began in July 2024, but was paused following her extended medical leave, which has resulted in the trial being reassigned to Magistrate McGusty.
When the matter was called on December 8, 2024, the defence had pressed for a fresh start to the already delayed trial. On the other hand, the prosecution had argued that a restart of the case was completely unnecessary and that all the court needed to do was to recall the previous witnesses. Ultimately, however, McGusty had ordered a restart in the election fraud trial.