Did the Rodney Commissioners have a contract?

Mar 02, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
I have been handed this news link by someone whose friendship I highly respect and had been requested to give my legal opinion on a very troubling situation of important national and international proportions. The link is reproduced here, http://guyanacaribbeanpolitics.com/?p=2615
The content of this article concerns the issue of the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry and the delivery or non-delivery of the Report of the Commission’s findings. The facts of this matter are many and various, but it is imperative to decipher what facts are important and what issues are of similar nature. The Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry (COI ) was made up of ‘’Commissioners Seenath Jairam, SC, and Sir Richard Cheltenham and Jacqueline Samuels-Brown, QC…’’ with Sir Richard Cheltenham being designated the Chairman—an impressive array of legal ‘’Silk’’, Senior Counsels, and with one of them holding the status of Knighthood.
This Commission of Inquiry was set up, and hundreds of millions of dollars was spent on its operations. This fact was already established. The fact that the Commission was a ‘’Presidential Commission’’ was also established. This paragraph appeared in the Guyana Caribbean Politics article. Since this was a Presidential Commission then the legal eagles should have known that only a recognized ‘’Presidential Dispensation’’ by the current sitting President of Guyana, would be proper and legal termination of this activity.
There is a much more serious matter that negates the existence of this so-called Commission and the transfer of funds from the nation’s treasury and into the private pockets of the individual commissioners. The facts seem to suggest that there was no legal contract for the setting up of this commission and its operations and obligations.
The CuyanaCaribbeanpolitics article had these paragraphs.,’’…Williams told reporters at Parliament last week that the commissioners could not have been paid because there was no contract.””The contract attending this entire exercise was requested from the Chairman of the commission and on that question being asked he disclosed that they never had any contract.” In my experience from practice at the Criminal Bar, where monies had been removed from the National Treasury without legal and proper documentation, such actions amount to Indictable Offences triable before judge and jury, in appropriate cases.These ‘’legal eagles’’ should have known better. This could mean a lot of trouble for them. In the prevailing circumstances the learned Attorney General has all of the cards. The Commissioners should urgently make contact with him and make arrangements to make this situation right. It is the only legal advice that they should take from me.
Juliet Holder-Allen

Latest News

Did the Rodney Commissioners have a contract?

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | December, 2nd, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Guyanese MMA star Harris set for octagon return on January 11

GCF Calls Urgent Extraordinary General Meeting to...

Mashramani Street Football Championships to kick...

Boxing not currently on the program for the 2028...

Finding better qualified Guyana Cricket Board...

Kellman’s 3-goal brilliance inspires Sparta...

Features/Columnists

Jagdeo is a liability to Irfaan Ali

Forget Begging Rich Nations: Caribbean Countries Should Act to Save Themselves

PPP at 75: power to the plutocracy, kleptocracy

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Did the Rodney Commissioners have a contract?

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | December, 2nd, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]