Attorney wants only police, OSHA probes into diving tragedy – SCRAP THE ENQUIRY

FORMER Opposition UNC senator Gerald Ramdeen on Thursday called for Government to scrap the commission of enquiry (CoE) into the drowning deaths of four divers who were doing work on undersea pipeline installations for Paria Fuel Trading Ltd.

At a media conference at the Trinidad Hilton on Thursday, Ramdeen said past CoEs brought little to no changes.

On March 4, Opposition Senator Wade Mark said an independent CoE should be called to investigate the drownings, this after the Government initially announced a committee to conduct the probe. The Government later changed this to a CoE, a move supported by the Opposition.

On Thursday however, Ramdeen said: “You see the idea of setting up a commission of enquiry, it is not going to work and it is not going to bear any fruit for the people. When it is set up eventually, what will the findings do for the families who have lost loved ones?”

He said any CoE would be as useless as every other previous commissions of enquiry, "and I say that from the horse’s mouth because I was involved in the largest one (CL Financial).”

Ramdeen said commissions of enquiry were used to “allow people to gallivant.”

He is calling for the police and the Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) to conduct independent investigations.

The CoE was established to probe the circumstances that led to the deaths of Kazim Ali Jr, Fyzal Kurban, Yusuf Henry and Rishi Nagassar on February 25. Their bodies were recovered on February 28. All men were reported to have drowned according to their autopsies.

The men were part of a five man team that was sucked into 30-inch thick pipeline at Berth 6, belonging to Paria. Only Christopher Boodram survived. At the time the men were doing routine maintenance. They all worked for LCMS Ltd.

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However, responding to Ramdeen’s call for the enquiry to be scrapped, Energy Minister Stuart Young said both OSHA and the police were already investigating the drownings. He added that the CoE will proceed.

Ramdeen, who represents both LCMS and the family of diver Kazim Ali Jr, said it has been 35 days since the incident and nothing has been done.

He repeated a call first made by the UNC for the Paria board to be removed, either by suspension or dismissal as the matter is probed.

Speaking at the post-Cabinet press briefing, also on Thursday, Minister Young said past commissions of enquiry were started long after the incidents, warranting them, had taken place. He denounced views that there was an undue delay in the CoE.

On March 10, the Prime Minister scrapped a five-person committee formed to investigate and report on the drownings. That aborted committee was given 45 days to complete its investigation and submit a report.

Dr Rowley then announced the CoE to be chaired by former head of Jamaica's Appeal Court, Justice Cecil Dennis Morrison, QC. The other commissioner is local subsea specialist Gregory Wilson while counsel to the commission will be former UNC Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj.

The idea of a third commissioner has since been scrapped.

Young said on Thursday that Morrison is expected in the country on April 18, after which he will be sworn in as a commissioner, and along with Wilson, begin formulating how the commission will proceed.

On the cost of this CoE, potentially running in the millions of dollars, Young said the cost of past commissions is being examined to give Government an idea of a ball-park figure.

Chairman of Paria's board, Newman George was contacted on Thursday but said he had nothing to say on Ramdeen's call for the board to be removed as the probe continues.

George said he had been in board meetings throughout Thursday and did not listen to Ramdeen’s media briefing.