Sixth session for Rodney Commission to start on Monday

Oct 18, 2014 News

The Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry is expected to reconvene on Monday and the wife of the late Guyanese Politician Patricia Rodney, is scheduled to be the first witness. According to Attorney for the Commission Latchmie Rahamat, Mrs. Rodney will be the first of several “powerful” witnesses.
Rahamat told Kaieteur News that member of the Working People’s Alliance, Dr. Rupert Roopnarine is another witness expected to give evidence at the Commission. Several other members of the WPA would also testify.
The life of the Commission has been extended until January 2015 and a further $60M is being set aside for its tenure. This was disclosed recently even though Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh is yet to actually tell the National Assembly how the $112M which was first allocated was spent.
Back in February, President Ramotar had said that the Rodney Commission will not come cheap and that he knew for a fact that the money would be well spent. Ramotar had denied that there was anything sinister in the holding of the Inquiry stating that his government was in fact fulfilling the wishes of Rodney’s wife, Patricia.
“This process has started and it was not initiated by me, but by a request by the family, particularly Rodney’s wife, Patricia Rodney,” Ramotar had said.
He had said that the Terms of Reference which some parties have been protesting were crafted by Rodney’s family and advisors, along with some technical help from Government. The terms include “examining the facts and circumstances immediately prior to the time of and subsequent to the death of Dr. Rodney in order to determine as far as possible, who or what was responsible for the explosion resulting in the death of Rodney”.
He had said that Commissioners would have to inquire into the cause of the explosion in which Dr. Walter Rodney died; whether it was an act of terrorism and if so, who were the perpetrators.
Commissioners would also have to specifically examine the role, if any, in which the late Gregory Smith, a Sergeant of the Guyana Defence Force, played in the death of Rodney and if so, to inquire into who may have counseled, procured, aided and or abetted him to do so, including facilitating his departure from Guyana after Rodney’s death.
Since the commencement of the Commission, several issues have been raised by lawyers representing interested parties. Attorney at Law Basil Williams, Selwyn Pieters and Joseph Harmon have all been very vocal on how the Commission was conducting its business.
Rodney was a prominent Guyanese historian, political activist and pre-eminent scholar who was killed in an explosion in Guyana in 1980.
His brother, Donald Rodney, who was injured in the explosion, said that a sergeant in the Guyana Defence Force named Gregory Smith had given Walter the device that killed him. In a book written by Smith he denied his involvement in Rodney’s death.

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Sixth session for Rodney Commission to start on Monday

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