Former Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Information Technology Manager Aneal Giddings on Monday admitted under cross-examination that he had no written authorisation showing that he was permitted to remain alone with Statements of Poll (SOPs) for approximately four hours during the 2020 elections.
Giddings was cross-examined by defence attorneys Eusi Anderson and Dexter Todd before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court as the election fraud trial continued.
He testified that after the tabulation process was halted, he remained at the facility with GECOM Data Administrator Paul Persaud and took responsibility for securing, categorising, logging and packaging SOPs that had come into the possession of his team.
According to Giddings, he believed he was duty-bound to secure the documents because members of his team had signed for them.
However, under questioning, he acknowledged that he could not produce any document showing that the Commission had authorised him to remain alone with the SOPs for the four-hour period.
Giddings said the authorisation had been given orally by then Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield. He further acknowledged that he had not told police about that oral authorisation and said Monday was the first time he had publicly stated it.
He also acknowledged that he had no direct supervisor or independent observer with him while he handled the documents.
The defence further questioned Giddings about documents he had alongside the SOPs, including a document he was seen writing on with a pen. He could not produce that document in court and acknowledged that he had not shown it to police.
Giddings also faced questions about the movement and custody of the SOPs and said they were ultimately left inside the facility. He acknowledged that he did not tell police precisely where he had left them.
The defence also questioned him about his removal of GECOM’s server from the building during a security incident. Giddings maintained that he removed and secured the server to protect GECOM’s information.
During re-examination, prosecutor Latchmie Rahamat asked Giddings whether he had accessed, altered or tampered with the server while it was secured in his vehicle.
“No, I didn’t,” Giddings replied.
Asked whether he had permitted anyone else to do so, he again answered, “No, I didn’t.”
Giddings also explained that the SOPs in his possession were not the documents used to determine the final 2020 election result, saying the documents at the tabulation centre were intended for processing and reporting to the Chief Elections Officer.
