Benn admits making no notes of alleged 2020 election discrepancies during testy hearing

(Kaieteur News) – Former GECOM Commissioner and former Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn engaged in a tense back-and-forth with Defense Counsel Nigel Hughes on Thursday as he was pressed over discrepancies he said he observed during the 2020 election tabulation at Ashmin’s Building. Benn, who served on the commission during the 2020 General and Regional Elections, was returning to the stand in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to face cross-examination following his earlier testimony. Benn was cross examined on Thursday because Anneal Giddings, former IT manager, expressed through the Prosecutors that he was unavailable due to personal matters.

The courtroom friction escalated when Benn repeatedly refused to answer a series of questions posed by Hughes concerning whether he had documented the discrepancies he claimed occurred, insisting instead that the matter was public knowledge. “How many times do you want me to answer the question? I have answered it four times already,” Benn told Hughes.

Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty immediately intervened, repeatedly cautioning Benn regarding his conduct and informing him that it was not his place to question defense counsel. Magistrate McGusty observed that the witness seemed mistaken as to his purpose in the court, calling on the prosecution to advise him on his conduct. Lead Prosecutor Darshan Ramdani rose in response, telling the court that witnesses sometimes feel so strongly about a matter that their emotions come out. However, Magistrate McGusty redirected the prosecution’s attention to Section 64 of the Summary Jurisdiction (Magistrates) Act and Section 22 of the Summary Jurisdiction (Procedure) Act.