Opposition leader: ‘Don’t hide Paria report like the others’

The United National Congress (UNC) is calling on the Prime Minister to see to the immediate release of the “unsanitised” report from the Commission of Enquiry (CoE) into the Paria diving tragedy.

The report details the circumstances surrounding the death in February, 2022 of four divers, Fyzal Kurban, Kazim Ali Jr, Rishi Nagassar and Yusuf Henry, who died after they were sucked into and trapped in a pipeline they were working on. They were employed by LMCS, a firm specialising in diving-related services.

A fifth diver, Christopher Boodram, survived and was a key witness in the CoE.

The report, submitted by the CoE to President Christine Kangaloo last Friday, likely contains recommendations by the CoE's chairman Jerome Lynch, KC.Without sharing details of the report, Lynch said the incident was “no act of God,” and that, left to him, the report would be made immediately available to the victims’ families.

Prakash Ramadhar, an attorney representing some of the victims’ families, on Monday, said he will write to the PM for access to the report and intends on seeking damages on behalf of the families after he gets the report.

Speaking at a UNC cottage meeting on Monday night, Persad-Bissessar said she fears the report will end up being hidden, as she accused the PNM of doing with other reports.

Persad-Bissessar also objected that over $15 million had been spent on the enquiry, "and counting,” while “shamefully, not one black or red cent was given to the families.”

Persad-Bissessar accused the PM of stalling the public release of the report.

“Don’t wait to find criminal conduct,” she countered. "Publish the report. Put it out to the public. Let the public see the report now.

“Mr Rowley…please give instructions to the acting PM (Colm Imbert). That report should be released ASAP to the people of TT.”

She said the report must also be made public to prevent a recurrence.

“If we don’t learn from our mistakes, we’re doomed to repeat these same mistakes of the past."

Persad-Bissessar accused the government of “hiding away” several other reports, as she accused it of doing with the Colman CoE report into the collapse of the CL Financial Group of Companies.

The CoE into the collapse of CL Financial cost over $78 million. The report has not been made public, while several matters concerning the collapse remain before the courts.

MP for Oropouche East Dr Roodal Moonilal said the government should not sanitise the report.

“If it is that persons connected to the PNM (are) found culpable, let it stand in the public domain. Let us read (about it),” he said.