Paria enquiry on target for November 30 deadline

THE Paria Commission of Enquiry (CoE) remains on target to deliver its final report on last February's tragedy at Paria Fuel Trading Company Ltd's Pointe-a-Pierre facility to President Christine Kangaloo on November 30.

On February 25, 2022, divers Rishi Nagassar, Kazim Ali Jr, Fyzal Kurban, Yusuf Henry and Christopher Boodram were sucked into a a 30-inch underwater pipeline belonging to Paria Fuel Trading Co Ltd on which they were doing maintenance work. Only Boodram survived.

Vanessa Kussie, Nagassar's widow, said, "I just hope and pray when Mr Lynch (commission chairman Jerome Lynch, KC) gives his documents to the hands of the person or persons he is giving it to, they don't take out papers or photos of evidence to whom are responsible for our husbands' deaths."

Kussie added that the families of the other divers are as heartbroken as she is.

"We are all waiting patiently for the 30th of this month (when the final report is delivered to the President)."

After the report is submitted to Kangaloo, it will be sent to the Cabinet, which will study it and determine the next step.

The CoE was originally due to submit its report to the president in May. But in a statement on May 5 it said it had written to Kangaloo seeking an extension until August 31.

At a virtual news conference on September 6, Lynch apologised that the commission needed to extend the deadline again.

He said the delay was not the result of political or any other type of interference.

"I have decided that we will take a little more time and add additional safeguards to ensure fairness to all and limit the potential for any further litigation aimed at thwarting the legitimate aims of this inquiry."

In an e-mail response to Newsday on Tuesday, commission officials said, "The 30th November deadline still stands."

Shortly afterwards, the commission issued a statement to announce that it will hold a final virtual hearing on November 29 from 2 pm.

The hearing is not expected to last more than an hour.

The commission said, "Counsel are not required to attend the said sitting but may choose to do so if they wish."

Members of the public who want to attend the sitting are asked to contact the commission's secretariat on or before 4 pm on November 27.

Members of the media who want to ask the commission any questions are asked to e-mail them to commissionsecretariat@coe2022.com on or before 4 pm on November 27.

The Prime Minister announced the CoE on March 8. In a television interview in July, Dr Rowley made no comment on newspaper reports that the cost of the CoE at that time was $15 million. He said CoEs were expensive undertakings and used the Clico CoE as an example.

Rowley said it was because of this experience, Government's initial idea was to use a technical team to investigate and report on the Paria accident.

"This would have been much cheaper and would have reported long ago."

That committee was to be chaired by former Energy Chamber president Eugene Tiah.

The Opposition UNC accused Tiah of having ties to the PNM.

The chamber said it had held no discussions with the Energy Ministry before Tiah was nominated. Tiah withdrew from the committee after the UNC's objections.

Rowley said some people politicised the accident before any examination of the facts happened. He added these same people are now complaining about the CoE they had demanded.