Attorneys for interested parties in the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry (COI) have been asked to provide written submissions as the commission prepares for its final sittings but lead attorney for the commission Glenn Hanoman says that he is at a loss as to what he is being asked to do.
Hanoman said that he received a notice via email from a member of the commission’s administrative staff yesterday and has been making repeated efforts to seek clarity about what the commission is requesting.
The notice, which was seen by Stabroek News, states that the commissioners are requesting written submissions by counsel for interested parties by July 24th, 2015.
It states that the written submissions are to be sent to the Commission’s Secretariat at the Supreme Court Law Library, either by hard copy or by electronic mail before the oral submissions are made.
The notice states that at the final hearings, which are likely to be held from July 27th to July 31st, 2015, the oral submissions will be received by the commissioners.
A cover letter also explains that July 29th to July 31st will be allocated to the commissioners for deliberations and that the presence of the attorneys for the interested parties would not be necessary on any of these three allocated days.
Hanoman, in an invited comment, told Stabroek News yesterday that he has been in the dark as it relates to what is happening and he has been unable to gather any information despite repeated efforts.
Asked what he feels he has to say in his submissions, Hanoman said that he can only guess that it has to do with compiling what has been presented, in keeping with the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the inquiry.
According to the TOR, the commissioners are to examine the facts and circumstances immediately prior, at the time of and subsequent to the death of Rodney in order to determine as far as possible who or what was responsible for the explosion resulting in his death. The commissioners are to inquire into the cause of the explosion in which Rodney died, including whether it was an act of terrorism and if so who were the perpetrators.
Further, the commissioners are to “specifically examine” the role, if any, which now deceased army officer Gregory Smith played in Rodney’s death and if so to inquire into who may have “counselled, procured, aided and or abetted” him to do so, including facilitating his departure from Guyana after Rodney’s death.
The commissioners are to examine and report on the actions and activities of state organisations, such as the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana National Service, the Guyana People’s Militia and those who were in command and superintendence of these agencies, to determine whether they were tasked with surveillance of and the carrying out of actions and whether they did execute those tasks and carried out those actions against the political opposition for the period January 1, 1978 to December 31, 1980.
Government announced last month that the inquiry would be granted final sittings, following which the commissioners will be given a one-month period in which to present their findings to the president.
There are several persons who are yet to complete their testimony as well as some witnesses who are seen as key to the injury but have yet to take the witness stand.
There had been reports that staff attached to the inquiry are yet to be paid, but Minister of State Joseph Harmon has disclosed that the life of the inquiry has expired and under the law no one can be paid.
So far, $324M has been spent on the inquiry, which began just over a year ago.
Hanoman had posited that given the fact that a lot of money has already been spent and that the inquiry has gone more than half way, the Commission should be given a chance to conclude its work properly. He had said that to end it now would mean that a lot of money has been wasted. He expressed certainty that if given the opportunity, the inquiry could come to an end in 15 to 20 working days.
