Mayor Green, Benschop, Kissoon offer treason accused encouragement
THE preliminary inquiry (PI) into the treason charge against Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Major Bruce Munroe, his wife, Carol Ann and former Army Reserve Officer, Leonard Wharton, continued yesterday, with the main witness, Quincy Critchlow identifying tape recordings. On the previous occasion, Acting Chief Magistrate, Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, who is conducting the proceedings, granted permission for Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)  Shalimar Ali-Hack to play audio recordings implicating the trio.
Defence Counsel, Nigel Hughes had requested that Critchlow return to court to identify the voices on the recordings.
When the case was called, the courtroom was packed with family members and friends of the accused but there was a power outage and the recordings could not be played.
The lawyers on both sides agreed to wait for 20 minutes until the electricity was restored and, during the break, Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green shook hands with the prisoners in the dock and encouraged them to “stay strong.”
Others present, mostly family members and friends, also offered the trio encouragement, among them former treason accused Mark Benschop and Kaieteur News columnist Freddie Kissoon, who were seen chatting with the accused, too. 
Benschop was interviewing the accused on a tape recorder when Police Inspector Stephen Telford ordered him to discontinue and he left but returned later.
On the resumption, following the blackout, Critchlow resumed his identification of the recorded voices and will continue the process, again, on January 12.
The Munroes and Wharton are accused of having, between December 1, 2009, and December 16, 2010, plotted to level war within Guyana and force the President out of office.
The charge for the capital offence is linked to the arson at the Ministry of Health in Brickdam, attempts to burn Richard Ishmael Secondary School and the Supreme Court and the gun attack at Brickdam Police Station, all within Georgetown, in July 2009.