The trial of nine people accused of fraud in connection with Guyana's March 2020 General and Regional Elections has been adjourned until October 19, 2026, after two weeks of consecutive hearings at the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts. Magistrate Faith McGusty, who is hearing the case, settled on the new date as Wednesday’s sitting came to an end. 

Before that hearing closed, the magistrate consulted both the prosecution and the defence and agreed dates for the continuation of the trial. The court will sit from October 19 to 30 and then adjourn until November 16. The court is expected to sit until November 27. 

The defendants face 19 charges between them, including conspiracy to defraud and misconduct in public office. They include Keith Lowenfield, the former Chief Elections Officer, and Volda Lawrence, a former Health Minister. Polling took place on March 2, 2020, and a final declaration of results was not made until five months later. The prosecution's case concerns how those results were tabulated and declared.

The trial has been affected by several delays since it began. The court is now working under strict case-management guidelines, which require hearing dates to be set well in advance. The schedule agreed this week follows that approach and gives all parties a fixed calendar through to the end of November.

Several witnesses gave evidence to the court during the past two weeks. . Some had already begun giving evidence and returned to continue it. Others appeared for the first time. A few have finished their testimony, while others have yet to be cross-examined or still have evidence outstanding. How much of the evidential phase remains is therefore not yet clear.

Much of the testimony has dealt with the sequence of events on and around Election Day in 2020. Witnesses described the halt to the tabulation process after reports of a bomb scare. Evidence was also given about the removal of a server, which was said to have been moved to protect election materials. One strand of testimony concerned alleged efforts to "steal" the elections. These are claims made by witnesses in court and have not been established as fact. The defendants have the right to challenge them in cross-examination and through their own evidence.

The court also heard about documents. Witnesses addressed discrepancies between the figures recorded on Statements of Poll and the figures that appeared in declarations, and gave evidence about handwriting on election-related papers. Statements of Poll record the votes counted at individual polling stations, so any difference between them and a declared total is central to the questions before the magistrate. No findings have been made on any of this material, and the weight to be given to it will be decided at the end of the trial.

The two weeks of sittings gave the prosecution time to bring forward witnesses who had previously begun their evidence and to introduce new ones. Defence lawyers have used the same period to test that evidence, though several cross-examinations are still to take place.

The matter returns to court on October 19, when the remaining witnesses who have yet to complete their testimony or face cross-examination are expected to continue.

‍