–Shifts focus to five unavailable SoPs and password protection of his computer

Forensic accountant Terrence Jaskaran maintained under cross-examination on Thursday that his report on the 2020 Region Four election results was complete, notwithstanding the unavailability of five of 879 certified Statements of Poll for his tabulation.

The maximum number of votes contained in five SoPs would ordinarily not exceed about 1,000, an amount wholly inconsequential to the 2020 election result and to the substantial discrepancies identified in Jaskaran’s analysis.

The defense’s challenge on Thursday focused on the five unavailable SoPs and on the password protection of the computer Jaskaran used to compile his work.

Jaskaran’s evidence is that the five missing documents were expressly recorded as a limitation in his report, while the remaining 874 certified SOPs were analysed against the figures GECOM used for its March 5 and March 13 declarations.

Prosecutor Latchmie Rahamat said Jaskaran repeatedly explained that the report itself disclosed the absence of the five SoPs.

“His report, he says and insisted repeatedly, was complete because he noted those limitations and he termed it a limitation in his report,” Rahamat said.

Rahamat said Jaskaran’s position was that his conclusions were based on every certified SoP made available to him.

“Mr Jaskaran maintains the accuracy of his report … [and] did present a complete report based on all the certified SoPs that were given to him.”

She said the accountant tabulated the votes from the certified SoPs provided, then compared his District Four calculations with the figures used by GECOM to make false declarations on March 5 and March 13, 2020.

“He took those SOPs, the certified copies, and he compared the District Four calculations that he made with the declarations from the 5th and the 13th of March 2020,” she said.

The prosecutor said Jaskaran outlined the steps he took to ensure the security of his electronic work on a police issued laptop computer.

Rahamat said Jaskaran testified that he alone controlled access to the laptop used for the exercise.

Jaskaran told the court that “he placed a password on that laptop that he alone had,” Rahamat said.

Jaskaran told the court that he would frequently review his work to verify that the information he had inputted was not tampered with.

Rahamat said Jaskaran rejected any suggestion that the data he entered could have been altered.Court adjourned at 3:15 PM on Thursday, with Jaskaran still under cross-examination.

The matter resumes on Monday, when Daniels is expected to continue questioning the accountant before the prosecution conducts re-examination.

Principal Magistrate McGusty had set aside Friday for the trial but said she could not be excused from Bail Court duties. .

The interruption comes amid public concerns about the pace of proceedings, with both prosecution and defence having made adjustments to accommodate the trial.

No hearing is scheduled for Friday.