FORMER Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) Trevor Benn, who was arrested on Wednesday after being accused of defrauding the State, remains in police custody. Benn was arrested and questioned in connection with the leasing of six acres of land at Ogle, East Coast Demerara, to JANICO Industrial Engineering Limited. The former Lands Commissioner’s service was terminated with effect from February 4, 2021.
He was taken to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and questioned about various land deals done under the former administration. On August 7, 2020, the government had announced that all public land deals made by the APNU+AFC administration since December 21, 2018 will be reviewed.
Investigators told Benn that by way of the transaction he made, he reportedly attempted to defraud the State by inducing persons by false pretense, knowing that the lands belonged to the National Industrial Commercial Limited (NICIL).

Benn is said to be cooperating with investigators, and has so far denied the allegations. A whopping $27 million was paid pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between JANICO Industrial Engineering Limited, and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) for the leasing of State lands that are seemingly non-existent. The MoU, which was seen by the Guyana Chronicle, was entered into by then GL&SC Commissioner, Trevor Benn and JANICO Industrial Engineering Limited on May 8, 2017, for the leasing of six acres of State land at Ogle, East Coast Demerara.
The MoU states that the GL&SC commits to leasing JANICO Industrial Engineering Limited the land for a term of 50 years, with a rent of $200,000 per acre annually.
As part of the agreement, JANICO Industrial Engineering Limited was obligated to pay the $27M to GL&SC in two installments; one upon the signing of the MoU, and the balance on or before November 4, 2017 or the date of issuance of the lease, whichever was the earlier.

A provisional lease, dated March 27, 2020, states that permission was granted to JANICO Industrial Engineering Limited “under Section 7 (1) of the State Lands Regulations, made under Section 17 of the State Lands Act Chapter 62:02 with effect from 02-01-2020 on a tract of six acres of State Land, situated at Ogle, East Coast Demerara. Applied for on the 08-05-2017 for “Industrial and Commercial Purpose”, the provisional lease further states that “final boundaries will be established upon the completion of a cadastral survey by the Commission”. The law firm representing JANICO Industrial Engineering Limited had written to Commissioner (ag) Enrique Monize in December last year indicating that both installments were paid in full. However, despite several months elapsing, a full State Land Lease was not issued. Monize, on January 28, 2021 wrote to the Attorney-General seeking guidance on the matter, “since the GL&SC lacks the experience capacity to deal with such sensitive issues”.

The Attorney-General, in a letter seen by this publication on the subject matter, advised Monize that the issuance of a provisional lease over lands which the GL&SC “has no ostensible authority” has raised serious criminal law implications, and may amount to the commission of several criminal offences. “In these circumstances, I advise that this matter be immediately reported to the Criminal Investigations Department, Guyana Police Force, for investigations and possible onward transmission to the office of the Police Legal Advisor/Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice and/or charges to be filed,” the Attorney-General stated in the letter. He also advised that the attorneys-at-law representing JANICO Industrial Engineering Limited be informed accordingly.