Young: Paria report will go to DPP

THE report on the Paria tragedy will be sent to Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard to read, Energy Minister Stuart Young said on January 19.

Almost two years after four divers died in an undersea pipeline, Young laid the report of the commission of enquiry into the tragedy in the House of Representatives, under papers listed in a supplemental order paper.

Moments later, Naparima MP Rodney Charles presented a question for oral answer by the Prime Minister, but which was fielded by Young, who said the report had just been laid and so was subjected to the population.

Charles, in a supplemental question, asked if any redactions had been made to the report when laid. Young replied, "Absolutely none."

Charles then asked if the Ministry of Energy had initiated any precautions in line with the report's recommendations.

Young said the report had just been laid and sarcastically quipped that Charles seemingly knew its contents.

He said, "The report went before the Cabinet of TT, which took a collective decision to send the report to the DPP for him to look at and advise on as future action, if any, that should be taken."

Charles asked if it had been sent to the police.

Young again said it had been sent to the DPP, adding that the DPP, if he sees fit, in the course of his duties, to engage the police service or any other investigative arm, will do so.

Five men – Christopher Boodram, Kazim Ali, Fyzal Kurban, Yusuf Henry and Rishi Nagassar – were working on a 30-inch pipeline offshore at Pointe-a-Pierre belonging to Paria Ltd, but were sucked into it and ended up underwater, with only Boodram surviving. Relatives of the men bitterly complained of being prevented from trying to rescue the remaining four by Paria and Coast Guard officials, who said experts on site had warned a rescue was too risky.

The $15 million commission of inquiry was chaired by Jerome Lynch, KC, who lamented a lack of any no-fault interim relief to the bereaved.