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Rohee does not need a lawyer
Linden Commission of Inquiry…
– Attorney General
By Latoya Giles
Attorney General Anil Nandlall has said that he does see why Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee needs a lawyer during the duration of the Linden Commission of Inquiry. According to the AG who spoke briefly with this newspaper yesterday “I don’t know of a reason why he needs a lawyer…government cannot direct the Commission how to do its work”.
Nandlall noted that the Commission hasn’t even indicated that the Minister needs a lawyer to represent him. The Minister has been an integral element in the Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances that led to the shooting of three Lindeners during unrest in the bauxite mining town of Linden.
Phone records have shown that the Minister and Senior Superintendent Clifton Hicken had spoken to each other after the shooting on July 18.
Police Commissioner Leroy Brumell had admitted that the Minister would at times bypass him and directly contact his subordinate officers.
Chairman of the Alliance for Change Attorney at Law Nigel Hughes made the point of the Minister not having a lawyer present during the Commission on Friday.
He believes that the government may be adopting this posture to later challenge the outcome of the inquiry.
AFC Chairman Attorney at Law Nigel Hughes
According to Hughes, “government is not sure of how the Commission is going to rule, so they have not gotten a lawyer for the Minister, so when the results of the inquiry come out they would run to the High Court and say that the Minister didn’t have a lawyer to represent him.”
The lawyer made the comment on Friday during a rally.
Attorney at law, Vic Puran, who was initially retained to represent the Minister, had told the Commission on the opening day of the Inquiry that he was no longer doing so, since the Minister did not honour certain obligations.
It is likely that Minister Rohee will be called before the commission of inquiry.
Nigel Hughes is looking over the interest of the relatives of Shemroy Bouyea, Allan Lewis and Ron Somerset. Attorneys-at-Law Hukumchand and Peter Hugh are representing the Guyana Police Force. Attorneys-at-Law Mohamed Khan and Dawn Holder are appearing for the Guyana Bar Association. APNU Members of Parliament Basil Williams and Joseph Harmon are representing their party.
The commission of inquiry is resuming today after a one-week break.
The commissioners are Lensley Wolfe O.J., who is the Chairman; Mr. K.D. Knight S.C; Ms. Dana Seetahal S.C, former Guyana Court of Appeal Judge, Claudette Singh CCH; and Cecil Kennard CCH.
Commission Chairman, former Jamaican Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe, has said that the Commission’s findings will be based solely on the evidence presented to it on oath or affirmation by witnesses.
The deaths of the three men stretched the protest for a month, as Lindeners pressed for a full investigation and opposition parties called for an international inquiry. On August 21, Government and the Opposition finally signed an agreement paving the way for the beginning of a Commission of Inquiry into the unrest. The signing also saw the mining town returning to normalcy. Some $80M has been allocated to the commission of
Attorney General Anil Nandlall
inquiry.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, United Kingdom firearm expert, Dr. Mark Robinson, arrived in Guyana. Robinson examined the scene of the shooting in Linden and spoke with victims of the incident. Dr. Robinson was brought to Guyana by the Alliance for Change to observe ballistics tests on fragments and bullets recovered from the Linden shooting and to conduct his own independent tests. Robinson is expected to give his testimony this week.
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