Four of the five members of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the July 18 Linden protestor shootings were yesterday sworn in and President Donald Ramotar hoped that the truth would be revealed as soon as possible to put all speculation to rest.
“I do hope that the Commission of Inquiry would be able to quickly get to the bottom of the truth and put an end to all the speculation in our society,” Ramotar said moments after former Justice of Appeal Claudette Singh, Justice Lensley Wolfe and Senior Counsel K.D. Knight of Jamaica and Senior Counsel Dana Seetahal of Trinidad and Tobago took their oaths.
Former Chancellor of the Judiciary Cecil Kennard, who is vacationing abroad, was absent from the ceremony at the Office of the President but he will be sworn in sometime later this month when he returns.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall told Stabroek News last night that Justice Wolfe, who has been identified as the chairman, and the other three commissioners will be meeting with the press this afternoon to give updates on their discussions.
Government yesterday revealed that $80M is the budget set aside for the COI, which will sit in Georgetown at the upper flat of the Supreme Court’s library building. Several prominent attorneys and ministers of the government turned up to witness the swearing in ceremony.
Ramotar, in a brief address, stated that there are some who already have answers to the questions surrounding the incident “but we hope that we will get the answers from the commission as early as possible.”
While extending a warm welcome to the three regional commissioners, he said that their presence is a clear indication that Caricom is moving forward “maybe not at the pace that everyone would want to see but this is a sign of the integration process to show that we are really one people and work together for the stability and development of our region as a whole.”
Ramotar also used yesterday’s forum to call on the public and all those who have evidence to give to come forward. “I want to call on them to come forward to give their testimony to the commissioners so that they can work very quickly and so we can put this behind us as early as possible,” he stressed.
On July 18, Ron Sommerset, Allan Wilson and Shemroy Bouyea, were killed and at least 20 other persons were injured near the Wismar/Mackenzie Bridge, after police opened fire on residents protesting against increased electricity tariffs, which took effect at the start of that month. The actions of the police, who said that ranks were provoked, have been condemned because of the failure to use non-lethal measures and there have been calls for murder charges to be laid against the officers who gave the orders to fire.
Post-mortem examinations on the trio had revealed that they were shot with live rounds as well as shotgun pellets. The shooting resulted in the protest action intensifying and lasting over one month.
Moments after the swearing in ceremony had ended, Justice Singh gave brief comments to the reporters, who were later told that they had to leave the room.
Justice Singh said that this is the first commission she would be sitting on but noted that she has some 20 years of experience sitting on the bench and had also presided in many high-profile cases.
She said that she was unsure as to when exactly the commission’s work would start, explaining that this was among the several issues that would have been finalised during a meeting later in the day. However, up to last evening, Stabroek News was unable to ascertain the outcome of that meeting. According to Justice Singh, she and the other commissioners also have to determine the rules under which they would work.
Nandlall, meanwhile, confirmed that the commissioners will be meeting among themselves to acquaint and familiarise themselves with the location where the commission’s sittings are to be held. He said that the location is subject to any change that the commissioners may make.
Timeframe
Asked about the timeframe for the inquiry, he said that while the signing marked the establishment, the formal sittings should begin within the next 14 days. ”We have to await the arrival of (Justice) Kennard, who is yet to be sworn in. He is on annual leave and he is expected to be back on or around mid-September and once the commission is at its full complement and once they would have completed their housekeeping matters and outlined what their internal procedures are going to be, then they will begin their work. It is absolutely up to them to fix their agenda and the speed at which they will proceed,” he noted.
It had been previously said that the commission will last for six to eight weeks and all five commissioners are expected to remain in the country until its conclusion. The commissioners will be travelling to Linden as is needed.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon told reporters at a subsequent post-Cabinet press briefing that the budget put aside for the COI is about $80M. He later explained that this sum is expected to cover a range of expenditure, including remuneration and hiring.
Responding to questions, Luncheon said that it would be difficult to speculate how long the inquiry would last. “The sentiment among those who examined the Terms of Reference and the hours of sitting, there was a strong sense that the engagement ought not to exceed about 30 working days,” he said, adding that this timeframe would put the commencement at around the middle of September, with an end date before the end of October. “The commencement, you would recognise, will be delayed to allow notices to be given to those likely to be offering evidence, to give testimony, to submit statements and for them to be examined by the commission,” he further said, suggesting that this would require a two- week lead time.
