“There were clearly some inexcusable delays” – Sase Gunraj on election fraud cases

As Guyana heads into another election cycle, Government-nominated Commissioner at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Sase Gunraj, has described the delays in the election fraud cases which has been languishing in the courts since 2020, as “inexcusable.”
During an appearance on a local podcast, Starting Point, the GECOM Commissioner was asked about the delays in the trial in which several former senior Elections officers and former Government officials under the then APNU/AFC (A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change) coalition regime are facing electoral fraud charges for their role in attempting to rig the 2020 General and Regional Elections in Guyana.
Gunraj, who is also an Attorney-at-Law by profession, was cautious about commenting on the ongoing trial. However, he expressed dissatisfaction with slothfulness within the judicial system.
“I don’t want to get into the granular of commenting on some of the specific reasons for the delay in the hearing. But there were clearly some inexcusable delays… But the very constitution that we hold as our shelter, guarantees litigants – including persons criminally charged – the protection of law, and the utilisation of it, I believe, is part of the process, as well,” he posited.
Over the years, there has been widespread public frustration over the delays in the election fraud cases.
In fact, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) – the party which Gunraj represents on the seven-member Elections Commission, had previously lamented his own frustration over the delays, and had called on the judiciary to accelerate the trial especially since all the evidence were available to proceed.
Last August, Jagdeo had even hinted that this high-profile matter could end up in the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) – the highest level of judicial redress for Guyana – given the pace of the trials in the local courts.
The elections fraud trials first commenced on July 29, 2024, for several individuals facing charges of alleged irregularities during the general elections in 2020. It was initially being heard by Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates Court and was expected to run from July 29 to September 13.
However, a series of delays and deferrals ensued and the matter was eventually brought before the court of now acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty, who continues to preside over the matter.
A series of hearings have been held in recent weeks with several state witnesses taking the stand. The next date for continuation is June 22.
Nine persons are before the court in relation to electoral fraud. They are former Returning Officer for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo; former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield; his former Deputy, Roxanne Myers; former People’s National Congress/ Reform (PNC/R) Chairperson Volda Lawrence; PNCR activist Carol Smith-Joseph; and GECOM employees Sheffern February, Enrique Livan, Michelle Miller and Denise Babb-Cummings.
They are facing 28 charges relating to electoral fraud. Among the offences these 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.