Serious questions are being raised about the vetting of two senior Guyana Police Force officers after social activist and “Straight Up with Mark Benschop” host Mark Benschop published documents purporting to show that Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum and Senior Superintendent Khali Pareshram failed polygraph examinations, with the reported assessments citing “significant concern” over whether information concerning possible criminal activity was withheld.
The documents published by Benschop reportedly carry the designation “FAILED EXAMINATION” and highlight a finding described as “SIGNIFICANT CONCERN.”
The assessment states:
“The examinee lied and/or withheld information concerning his direct or indirect involvement in criminal activity.”
The wording is significant because it goes beyond simply recording an unsuccessful examination. It identifies the examiner’s stated concern as involving whether the examinee withheld or misrepresented information concerning direct or indirect involvement in criminal activity.
Benschop, who hosts the nightly “Straight Up with Mark Benschop” programme and regularly comments on governance, justice and public affairs, has presented the documents as evidence supporting his claims concerning the two police officers.
The reported findings, however, do not by themselves establish that either officer committed a crime. A polygraph examination measures physiological responses during questioning, and its results can be affected by a range of factors. The circumstances, methodology, questions and purpose of the examinations would therefore be relevant to assessing the significance of the reported findings.
Questions Over Senior Police Vetting
If the documents are authentic and accurately represent the examinations, they raise questions about why Blanhum and Pareshram were subjected to polygraph testing, what prompted the examinations, what matters were being investigated and whether the results were communicated to Guyanese authorities.
They also raise the question of whether any action followed.
Blanhum currently serves as Crime Chief and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law Enforcement), placing him among the Guyana Police Force’s senior officers responsible for criminal investigations.
Senior Superintendent Khali Pareshram is also a senior-ranking member of the force.
The reported examinations therefore raise questions that extend beyond the two officers and into the systems used to vet and assess senior law-enforcement personnel.
Blanhum’s Previous Record
The claims also bring renewed attention to Blanhum’s previous record.
A 2017 Commission of Inquiry into an alleged plot to assassinate then-President David Granger criticised Blanhum’s handling of that investigation and recommended disciplinary action. Those findings are separate from the newly published polygraph documents and do not independently establish the reported examination results.
The latest claims now place the focus squarely on the documents presented by Benschop and whether the relevant authorities will respond to them.
Neither the Guyana Police Force nor the U.S. Embassy has publicly confirmed the reported examinations or authenticated the documents. No public explanation has been given as to whether either officer underwent U.S.-administered polygraph testing or what became of any reported results.
The questions are consequently becoming more pointed: Why were two senior police officers examined, what were they questioned about, what triggered the reported “significant concern,” and were the findings ever placed before Guyanese authorities?
