Benn’s land scandals and corruptions demonstrate that APNU/AFC has no care for ordinary Guyanese

Dear Editor,
Former Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) Trevor Benn was charged on Friday with misconduct in public office over the lease of land at Ogle.
It is alleged that between January 1, 2018, and March 31, 2020, at the Commission while being a public officer, that is to say, the Commissioner of Guyana Lands and Survey Commission, he willfully misconducted himself by causing the sum of $27,000,000 to be paid by Janico Vide Industrial Engineering Limited for the lease of six acres of land at Plantation Ogle, ECD, although knowing at the time that the GL&SC did not have the authority to lease any land at the location.
Many ordinary Guyanese now living on Government reserves in East, West Ruimveldt and Sophia are wondering if they are not qualified for land too, since they are living in close proximity to where these lands were given to a handful of people.
The coalition Opposition maliciously defended Trevor Benn’s detainment in Police custody by engaging in protest outside the Police station, stating that his arrest was a clear trend which was developed, whereby charges where were being trumped up against Guyanese professional knowing fully well there is no case against them. It is ironic that the coalition will make this ridiculous statement when they did the same thing while in Government between 2015-2020, one will remember the former Government spending hundreds of millions of dollars doing audits high and low, searching everywhere to find wrongdoings of Ashni Singh and Winston Brassington but found no scintilla of wrongdoing on these gentlemen’s part, however, trumped-up charges were instituted against these two men alleging that Singh and Brassington sold a tract of land, being 4.7 acres at Plantation Liliendaal, ECD, which was the property of Guyana, for the sum of $150 million to Scady Business Corporation, while knowing that the property was valued at $340 million by Rodrigues Architects, apparently the members of the APNU/AFC continue to live with amnesia as they demonstrate hypocrisy, everyone knew from the onset those were frivolous charges against Ashni Singh and Winston Brassington.
It is alleged that Trevor Benn bought a $32 million Prado from his own workplace for $2 million and Benn arrogated a power onto himself that former President David Granger never gave him. The President has sole legal authority to deal with State lands, the President delegated a power for Benn to rent and lease State lands. In breach of that power, it was alleged he collected millions of dollars from Guyanese and sold them lands.
The lands that Trevor Benn allegedly sold; he never enquired whether they were under the control of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission. The lands at Ogle which he allegedly sold, belonged to NICIL and GuySuCo and he did not receive permission from either Cabinet or NICIL/GuySuCo to sell those lands.
What concerns many is that there are many ordinary Guyanese who needed lands in those areas but Benn never thought to pay any interest into those small people, these included Afro-Guyanese that the APNU/AFC claim to care about but continue to use for political mileage only, however, the original Guyanese and the Afro-Guyanese have peeped your cards APNU/AFC leaders and are looking straight through you now.
It is alleged that Trevor Benn took $80 million illegally from Cevons and sold to Cevon’s, the National Sports Commission land. This was a piece of land that was under the microscope for a long time and it was public knowledge, one would remember Dr Frank Anthony in an interview making it crystal clear that the particular plot of land belongs to the National Sports Commission
Again, Trevor Benn had no power to sell and more so, to sell lands that did not come under the control of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission. There are many more of these alleged scandalous land transactions of this type that the Guyana Police Force is investigating, in relation to Benn.
It was also alleged that Wilfred Brandford is a close friend of Trevor Benn who also sat on the GL&SC Board. The GL&SC sold plots in the same location, as high as $150 million. Benn sought a valuation from the Government valuation officer, the valuation came in at $60 million. To give his friend a sweetheart deal, he rejected that valuation and requested another valuation, this second valuation came in at $13.5 million and he sold the land to his friend Brandford at that price. In all of these dealings, I am unable to point to one ordinary Guyanese, more so Afro-Guyanese, who benefited from any of these land deals that Mr Benn is accused of.
The many APNU/AFC leaders who are screaming racism; let them point to how many ordinary Afro-Guyanese in South Georgetown and in the villages throughout this country Benn gave lands to. He never did. He only gave to friends and cronies of APNU/AFC. They are only fanning the fire of racism. It is alleged all those who were protesting, benefited from the largesse of Benn. It is alleged that Mr Harmon used to collect the “Paper Bags” while Benn used to give out the lands upon his direction, while Christopher Jones staged the protest in Benn’s defence. It was alleged that Jones received one of the same plots of land from Benn, that plot of land was first occupied by an ordinary Guyanese which was taken away by Mr Benn and allegedly given to Christopher Jones of which it was alleged that he backdated a business registration, to register a barbershop, so he could have received a $4 million grant from SLED. He collected the money to buy furniture for the barbershop and then, after, hurriedly registered the barbershop as a business at the Commercial Registry.
News around the town has it that Anette Ferguson, who also protested in Benn’s defence, should remember that it was alleged that one of the first things she did as Minister of Housing was to take four house lots for herself. She should explain that to the tens of thousands of Afro-Guyanese who are still waiting for their house lots years later. It was alleged that she obtained a Government academic scholarship to complete her Master’s degree programme, however, we are still unaware of the present status, here again, we had so many ordinary young Guyanese who had applied for academic scholarship under the previous APNU/AFC Administration but was never given the chance.
Tabitha Sarabo-Halley while protesting also should explain to the thousands of Afro-Guyanese students who did not get a scholarship, how when she became Minister. It is alleged that she gifted herself a scholarship valued £20,000 British pounds and to date, she has failed to graduate.
All those hypocrites who are protesting now must hide their faces and stop pretending to be representatives of Afro-Guyanese. I challenge them to point to one Afro-Guyanese who received a rental contract like Larry Singh, $12.5 million per month for a house in Albouystown – let them point to one Afro-Guyanese who bought State property valued $8 billion, for only $20 million like (BK Marine). Show the Guyanese citizens another Afro-Guyanese who pocketed US$5.6 million as a settlement similar to (Haggs Bosch/BK International). However, in conclusion, it is obvious that Benn’s land scandals and corruptions demonstrated that APNU/AFC has no care for ordinary Guyanese and their Afro-Guyanese supporters, who they continue to deceive and use for their political gain.
The Opposition needs to stop complaining about the 72 hours that Mr Benn was detained in Police custody for questioning, we never witnessed any protest representation being made by the APNU/AFC when ordinary Guyanese are being detained for questioning. Every Guyanese must know that the Guyana Constitution provides for the Guyana Police Force to hold a suspect up to 72 hours for questioning and that is the law.

Sincerely,
David Adams