Govt disappointed as election trial not yet completed, now drags into 2026

Attorney General (AG) and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall has expressed disappointment in the slothfulness of the election fraud case which is before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

“On behalf of the Government, we are equally disappointed that the cases are not yet completed. Like you, we feel that they should have been completed a long time ago with a particular outcome,” the AG said during Tuesday’s edition of his “Issues in the News” programme.
However, he said while the system is slow, progress is being made.
“The important thing is that I believe that progress is being made. The trials are actually ongoing. The system may be slow. Not maybe slow. The system is slow. But let us hope that the matters are concluded early in accordance with law, and the outcome is one that is supported by law,” he said.
The fraud trial into the 2020 General and Regional Elections before acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts is set to continue in February 2026. The fixed dates for the continuation of the trial are scheduled for the weeks of February 16–20 and February 24–27, 2026.
Nine persons are currently facing 19 charges of conspiracy to commit electoral fraud for the events that occurred following the March 2, 2020, General Elections. These include former Returning Officer for Region Four Clairmont Mingo, former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, Deputy CEO Roxanne Myers, former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Minister Volda Lawrence, APNU+AFC Chief Scrutineer Carol Joseph, and former Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) employees Enrique Livan, Sheffern February, Michelle Miller, and Denise Bobb-Cummings.
Among the offences the defendants are accused of committing are misconduct while holding public office, presenting falsified documentation, and planning to manipulate Guyana’s voters by presenting an inaccurate vote total. These charges stem from attempts to rig the 2020 elections in favour of the then ruling APNU/AFC.
The election fraud trials first commenced on July 29, 2024, and were initially being heard by Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and were expected to run from July 29 to September 13, 2024. However, a series of delays, deferrals and media leave by the Magistrate ensued, and the matter was eventually taken before the court of now acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty, who continues to preside over the matter. A series of hearings have been held, with several state witnesses taking the stand.
For the past weeks, the court has been engaged in a voir dire to determine the admissibility of videos taken during the interrogation of the defendants at the investigating stages. The defence has challenged the admissibility of a number of recordings of Police interrogations that are being offered into evidence. The recordings show the Police interrogation of a number of the defendants in the case. In each instance the Magistrate will hold a separate voir dire to determine whether certain evidence is admissible at trial. In this context, the Magistrate will hear arguments and testimony about the evidence in question. Attorneys may call witnesses, question experts or present legal arguments to show why the evidence should either be allowed or excluded. The Magistrate will then rule on its admissibility before the wider case continues.
“I am not responsible”
The AG on Tuesday said while he is oftentimes blamed for the delays in the case, “I am not responsible.”
In fact, he said the Government does not influence or control the processes of the judiciary.
“The constitution of our country and the doctrine of separation of powers insulate the judiciary, and properly so, properly so, from any form of Governmental influence or control,” he noted, adding that “In fact, I will never attempt, never attempt, to influence any judicial or Magisterial outcome in any proceedings in the legal system of our country. Never. And I have no authority to do so.”