– Cathy Hughes
THE Alliance for Change (AFC) said, Wednesday, it is relieved and happy that the treason charge against Major Bruce Munroe, his wife Carol Ann Munroe and a former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Reserve Officer Leonard Wharton, was dismissed by the Court. AFC Executive Member Cathy Hughes told the media at SideWalk Café, on Middle Street, Georgetown, that the party is pleased that these individuals are back where they belong, with their children and loved ones.
After the trio was charged in December 2010, Hughes said the AFC had pressed for the Court to expedite the preliminary inquiry (PI) and was always of the view that it was a trumped up charge.
She recalled that the party had issued a statement in January, urging the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to examine the evidence that was presented, to determine the likelihood of a successful conviction and “to do the right thing in the interest of justice.”
Hughes said the party had also expressed concerns about the numerous delays that occurred in the PI and called on the DPP to ensure that there were no more in the hearing.
On the point of whether or not the authorities would recharge the trio, Hughes said: “I would hope that they have some additional evidence. I can’t imagine that, after two years, they can take that position. We really applaud the fact that the Courts have been fair, based on the evidence they have.
“I would hate to know that you would put the cost of doing this and, most importantly, these individuals who have suffered sufficiently through this charade. I would be very disappointed and I think the whole nation will be.”
Acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, who freed the trio on Wednesday, ruled that the charge was bad in law and cited several cases to support the ground that no overt act was in the particulars of the offence.
However, Head of the Presidential Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon has vowed that government will be examining the options that exist in the face of the court- ruling, Wednesday, which saw the three treason accused freed on the basis of insufficient evidence.
In an invited comment after his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President, the HPS stated that while the information under the circumstances in which the trio was released remains sketchy, at that point in time, he was indeed surprised by the decision.
“I would say I am surprised about the decision of the court and certainly I would want to believe that the matter would not end there…But at this point I would say that we would have to examine what options exist in the face of the court’s ruling, but I am surprised about the decision of the court,” Dr. Luncheon reiterated.

The Munroes and Wharton were accused of having, between December 1, 2009 and December 16, 2010, at Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara, intended to level war within Guyana to force the President out of office, in order to compel the Government of Guyana to change its measures. The trio was arrested on December 27, 2010.