Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes is expected to cross-examine six witnesses who implicated former Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) Roxanne Myers during their testimonies before Elections Commission of Inquiry (COI).
The Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice Claudette Singh, Elections Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, GECOM’s IT Manager Aneal Giddings, Assistant Commissioner of Police Edgar Thomas, Assistant Registration Officer (ARO) Alexandra Sophia Bowman, and American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AmCham) Representative, Rosalina Rasul are the six witnesses to be crossed examined by Mr Hughes on Wednesday.
Mr Hughes told the Commission today that while his client wishes to invoke her constitutional right to remain silent, he intends to cross-examine the six witnesses.
Chairman of Elections COI, retired Justice Stanley John, in consultation with the other Commissioners, agreed to have the witnesses reappear tomorrow for cross examination from 10:00hrs.
Assistant Commissioner Thomas, who was Divisional Commander at the time, told the Commission that Ms Myers was among officials who breached Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) when pandemonium broke out at the Ashmins Building on March 5.
During his testimony, he claimed that once the results of votes cast in Region Four were presumed to have been declared by Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, the DCEO instructed the police to clear the Regional Command Centre at Ashmin’s Building, including the three Elections Commissioners.
Rasul, who served as a Local Observer for AmCham during the course of the last elections, laid similar claims.
During her appearance before the Commission last November, Ms Rasul contended that party agents and local and international observers were evicted from the Command Centre on March 5, 2020 by the then Deputy Chief Elections Officer.
In a video clip presented, the then DCEO was heard asking persons within the Command Centre to leave the premises.
“Please take your rubbish and leave,” Ms Myers was heard saying. Her command was followed by the presence of armed TSU ranks, who indicated to those present that failure to leave the building will result in their arrest.
Meanwhile, when Ms Myers took to the witness box today, she told the Commission based on the charges before her and the advice of her attorney, she wished not to testify, thereby invoking her constitutional right to silence.
Ms Myers is currently charged and before the Court for a number of criminal offenses relating to the highly controversial elections. She has maintained her innocence of those charges.
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