Former Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Trevor Benn, again charged with fraud.
Benn was present today in the Courtroom of Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaac-Marcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
The charge against him states that Benn, between 1st December, 2018 and the 31st of August, 2020, at Guyana Lands and Survey Commission Georgetown, while being a public officer: Commissioner of Guyana lands and survey commission, he willfully misconducted himself by executing a sale of two parcels of land known as plot A Mandela Avenue and Aubrey Barker St., South Ruimveldt otherwise known as parcel 4725 being a mutation of parcel 4716 L.R.B. NO. XXX and parcel 4805 being the mutation of former parcel 4779. All being a portion of Middle Walk, Plantation Ruimveldt and causing Wilfred Branford who is the owner of Car Care Enterprise to pay the sum of $30,500,000 Guyana dollars (13.5 million) to the Guyana lands and survey commission for the said lands, knowing at the time he did not have the authority to sell the said lands and knowing the said plot A had been earlier valued at the sum of $60,800,000 Guyana dollars (6.8 million) the said willful misconduct amounting to a breach of the public trust , without any excuse or reasonable justification.
He was not required to plead and was released on $100,000 bail.
He was represented by attorney, Mark Waldron.
He was previously charged with a similar offense and was placed on $200,000 bail when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly.
The particulars of the charge state that between the 1st day of January, 2018, and the 31st day of March, 2020, at Georgetown Lands and Survey Commission, in the Georgetown Magisterial District, in the County of Demerara, while being a Public Officer, that is to say, the Commissioner of Guyana Lands and Survey Commission, willfully misconducted himself by causing the sum of twenty-seven million Guyana Dollars (GYDS27,000,000) to be paid by Janico Vide Industrial Engineering Limited for the lease of six (6) acres of land at Plantation Ogle, East Coast Demerara, knowing at the time that the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission did not have the authority to lease any land at Plantation Ogle, East Coast Demerara and thereby granted a Provisional Lease on 27th day of March, 2020, to the said Janico Vide Industrial Engineering Limited without any description, the said willful misconduct amounting to a breach of the public’s trust, without any excuse reasonable justification.
Guyana Standard understands that Benn was recently questioned by investigators about a land transaction. Benn was arrested on Wednesday in connection to the controversial leasing of lands at Ogle, East Coast Demerara.
Benn received marching orders last year following the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) victory at the March 2020 polls. On August 7th, 2020, the administration announced that it will be reviewing all public land deals made by the APNU+AFC administration since December 21, 2018, following the passage of the no-confidence motion.
