Former treason accused nabbed in Guyana with illegal radio transmitter
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| Published on Saturday, October 31, 2009 | Email To Friend Print Version
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GEORGETOWN, Guyana -- Former Guyanese talk show host and former treason accused Mark Benschop was arrested here on Thursday as heavily- armed policemen raided his home in the city and seized a piece of wireless equipment which authorities say was being used to operate an illegal radio station.
The lawmen swooped down on the opposition People’s National Congress activist's home around 4:00 pm and were denied entry by Benschop who demanded that a search warrant be produced.
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| Mark Benschop |
Search warrant in hand and joined by the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU), headed by Valmiki Singh, the police used a crowbar to gain entry into the house and in the presence of Benchop and his attorney, Nigel Hughes, conducted the search.
The NFMU believes that Benschop was operating an illegal FM transmitter that was beaming on 99.9FM as a bipolar antenna was seen above Benschop’s home.
Benschop was arrested and remains in police custody.
Benschop, insisting that he was already under arrest, refused to return to his premises to witness the search.
Benschop, who operates an internet radio station, had said that seven months ago he had applied for a radio licence but his application was not acknowledged.
The station, 99.9 FM had been on air intermittently for several hours each day for several weeks now.
There are only three legal radio stations here all operated by the state-owned National Communications Network (NCN) as the state holds a monopoly on radio.
On July 3, 2002, Benschop and a group of other people stormed the office of the president and declared that they were taking over.
He was later arrested and charged for treason, along with Phillip Bynoe who police never managed to capture.
The former talk show host was pardoned by President Bharrat Jagdeo in 2007 while Bynoe was pardoned last year. | | | | Reads : 619 | | | |
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