Benschop treason trial
Chief Justice urges Sohan to proceed efficiently
Stabroek News
September 12, 2002
Chief Justice Carl Singh has put Magistrate Chandra Sohan on notice that he expects that he would endeavour to conduct the hearing into the treason charge against Mark Benschop with decisiveness and efficiency.
Benschop's incarceration "for some time now" despite's the magistrate's stated intention to give his case priority over the other matters before him, prompted the chief justice's cautionary letter. He told Sohan, the accused "is entitled to expect you to stand by your word.
It may not be long now before allegations of prevarication are levelled against you."
Reviewing the proceedings of the case to date as he gathered from media reports, particularly the Stabroek News' reports of August 29 and 30, the chief justice recalled the magistrate's "more than subtle hints ... about the way the prosecution intended to proceed against Mr Benschop, in view of the fact that he was jointly charged with another person.
"The prosecutor despite your observations seemed to have been holding his ground on the way he intended to proceed, and it is at this stage that it appears to me that you parted with your undertaking to deal expeditiously with the matter."
The chief justice observed in his letter to the magistrate "You have now made your views known and there is a lengthy period before the next hearing. Whatever your views on the present state of the matter, I expect you will endeavour henceforth to conduct the proceedings with decisiveness and efficiency, so that the accused's present condition of incarceration without a hearing comes to an end."
Singh in closing assured Sohan that "the reason for writing is only to ask you to guard against unwittingly allowing the administration of justice to fall into disrepute."
Sohan on August 29 adjourned the hearing of the case against Benschop to September 16, so that he could proceed on his vacation leave. The charge stems from Benschop's participation in the July 3, protest, which led to a number of persons entering the Office of the President's compound, two of whom were killed by members of the Presidential Guard. The chief justice's letter was copied to the prosecutor, attorney-at-law Sanjeev Datadin, and Benchop's counsel, Mortimer Coddett, Raphael Trotman and Roysdale Forde.