Linden COI Chairman gets US$81,000 for one month’s work

Nov 25, 2012 News

– plus security, and other allowances

The Guyana government is reportedly paying a whopping US$81,000 ($16M) for a month’s work to the Chairman of the Linden commission of inquiry, former Jamaican Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe.
This is in addition to hotel fees and air travel to Guyana, along with personal security for the duration of his stay in Guyana.
While Wolfe is earning the super salary, his four other colleagues, including two former local judges, are not too far behind at US$72,000 a piece.

Four members of the Linden Commission of Inquiry, (from left) Justice Claudette Singh, Justice Lensley Wolfe, Senior Counsel Dana Seetahal and Justice K.D. Knight.

Information reaching this newspaper, indicates that Wolfe is reportedly being paid a professional fee calculated at “US$450 per hour working six hours per day. That works out to US$2,700 per day.
According to a Memorandum from the Administrator of the Linden Commission of Inquiry to The Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Office of the President, and carbon copied to the Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, dated November, 19, 2012, payment for the four other commissioners is calculated at US$400 per hour with them working six hours per day. That calculates at US$2,400 per day.
The Guyana Government had budgeted a significant sum of money but a full disclosure of the fees each commissioner would be paid had been kept a secret.
In addition to the fees the government is footing airfare for the three overseas- based commissioners to the tune of “US$8,000.00 x 1 trip x 3 persons”.
Airfare for their security personnel is also included in the package to the tune of “US$2,000.00 x 1 trip x 2 persons.”
The accommodation amounted to US$500 x 14 days for three commissioners, totaling US$21,000.00, while accommodation for the security men accounted for US$250 by 14 days.
The out of pocket allowance for the security men comes with a price tag of US$125.00 per day over 16 days for two persons.
Additionally, the Secretary to the Commission is being paid $500,000 for the month-long inquiry, while the two Legal Counsel are splitting $1M.