Benschop treason verdict deferred to December 2
Stabroek News
November 22, 2002
Magistrate Chandra Sohan yesterday again deferred his ruling in the Preliminary Inquiry into the charges of treason against Mark Benschop and the absent Phillip Bynoe.
Declaring that he had not yet come to a decision, Sohan said he had just managed to thoroughly go through the submissions of the defence, which he said would require the most attention.
And while he said he had been contemplating November 28, he opted for December 2 for continuance.
This is the second deferral by the magistrate who had been expected to deliver his ruling last Wednesday. He announced then that he had not been in a position to give a ruling since there was still a great deal of work to be done.
Meanwhile, Benschop continued to make allegations of police harassment yesterday, saying he was being constantly persecuted by one particular officer. There was a heavy police presence around the Georgetown Magistrate's Court with barricades preventing scores of persons from entering the courthouse. This resulted in some verbal and physical confrontations as police officers attempted to keep persons without matters pending before the court, from entering the compound. Some persons were also subjected to body searches.
