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Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry…Witness denies relative was caught with submachine guns

May 04, 2014 News

By Latoya Giles

Reverend Rueben Gilbert, a witness at the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry, has said that he was unaware that a family member was arrested following the discovery of a large quantity of arms and ammunition. Gilbert was at the time being cross examined by Attorney at Law Basil Williams.
“Is it true that one of your family members …Mr. Eric Gilbert who is a PPP activist had in his home in a bag of rice, sub machine guns, ammunition and several grenades?” Williams asked Gilbert. Gilbert denied having knowledge about the ammo find.
Williams further questioned the witness about his failure to include that fact in his statement to the Commission. Gilbert said that he had summarized his statement to the Commission.
Rodney’s brother, Lawrence, told the Commission that he was totally unaware that his younger sibling was collecting explosives at the time. According to the man, he saw no reason why his brother would have wanted to get his hand on explosives and ammunition.
Moreover, when asked about his brother’s involvement in acquiring “walkie talkies” he said that it was his honest belief that his brother wanted to establish a communication network by using local expertise rather than importing sets whose components could fail soon after.
“I think Walter recognized that being able to communicate meant not just being able to speak to people at public places, but to receive, to get feedback, for people to reach him and that was one of the reasons why he thought it was necessary to have a walkie talkie” Rodney’s brother told the commission.
According to the witness it was a “walkie-talkie” device which he received from a trusted friend that caused his untimely death on June 13, 1980.
More lawyers added….
The wife and the children of the late Walter Rodney along with the Guyana Trades Union Congress are now being represented by Counsel at the Commission.
Attorney at Law Andrew Pilgrim told Commission Chairman, Sir Richard Cheltenham that he has been contacted and will be working in the interest of Rodney’s widow, Patricia Rodney, and her children. Pilgrim practises in Barbados.
Attorney at Law, Keith Scotland, says that he will be representing Rodney’s brother; Donald Rodney. Scotland was recently admitted to the local bar in Guyana and in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Guyana Trades Union Congress’ interest is being represented by Selwyn Peters in conjunction with Brian Clarke.
The COI, among other things, will inquire into who or what was responsible for the explosion that led to Rodney’s death, whether it was an accident or an act of terrorism and the role of some persons and agencies, if any, in his death.
Rodney was killed on Friday, June 13, 1980 after a bomb exploded while he sat in his brother’s car on John Street, Werk-en-Rust outside the Georgetown Prisons.

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