The further examination of inmate Owen Belfield by the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) established to investigate the March 3, prison unrest, which saw 17 inmates perishing as a result of a fire, was yesterday deferred.
The deferral was as a result of Belfield travelling for a court hearing in Linden, scheduled for today.
The CoI was informed that another prisoner would be giving testimony in place of Belfield, but word later came that that inmate was ill.
As a result, instead testimony yesterday saw deliberation on the 28 applications submitted last week by the Guyana Bar Association (GBA) within chambers. These applications had requested documents and records in the care of the Guyana Prison Service to be made available to the Commission. These included copies of video footage and reports of the events, a copy of the report of the fire department and the post-mortem examination reports for the 17 prisoners who perished in the fire. (It was announced that video footage from the prisons taken on the day in question was sent to the Commission last Wednesday and copies will be made available to all attorneys on Monday.) The outcome of those deliberations have not yet been made public.
Attorney Dexter Todd, who is appearing in the interest of families of two deceased inmates and another who was injured, later related that he is pleased that the Commission is entertaining the applications because this shows there is an interest in fairness and getting to the truth.
“When counsel made the objection, not of the proceedings of the Commission, but rather so, if the Commission is to proceed, and in light of fairness, that certain documents and records must be made available to the attorneys so that we all must be able to have an appreciation of those records, so that when we are cross-examining the witness, in an effort to get the truth, that we are also knowledgeable,” Todd stated.
Attorney Darren Wade had raised objections as regard to this issue at the proceedings last week, opining that prison and police force representative Selwyn Pieters had in his possession documents that were only available to him because of his position. He had stated that in the interest of fairness, these documents should be made available to all the attorneys of the Commission.
Also addressed yesterday was the issue of the summoning of witnesses, which was raised by Todd.
“I have made mention to the commission that what I have been seeing for the last couple of days, would be inmates coming to testify who had very little visible evidence to bring in terms of what actually occurred. If there was any need for inmates who would have witnessed from starting to end, then we must look to those who were outside,” he said.
Todd had earlier stated that he has a list in excess of 20 inmates who are ready to testify.
Meanwhile, Commission Counsel Excellence Dazzell, also made mention that the inmate Steve Bacchus, who several witnesses testified was responsible for their rescue from the burning Capital A Block, is expected to give testimony soon.
On this same note, Wade later made an application for nine prisoners who are residents of the Capital C Block to be summoned as witnesses. He, however, informed the media that the Commission could only accommodate two of those witnesses, one being Kenneth Griffith, the orderly in Capital C. The other witness is yet to be decided.
