A little over six months after four professional divers tragically died while performing maintenance on a pipeline at Paria Fuel Trading Company Limited’s Pointe-a-Pierre facilities, the Commission of Enquiry tasked with investigating the incident is set to begin its work today.
However, the commission, chaired by Queen’s Counsel Jerome Lynch, is not expected to plunge straight into the evidence of witnesses, as it is first expected to address procedural issues during hearings scheduled for today and tomorrow.
The public hearings will take place at Tower D at the International Waterfront Centre in Port-of-Spain, with a live stream available on the commission’s website- www.coe2022.com.
On February 25, five divers employed with independent contractor LMCS Limited - Christopher Boodram, Fyzal Kurban, Rishi Nagassar, Kazim Ali Jr and Yusuf Henry - were sucked into the 30 inch-diameter pipeline they were performing maintenance work on.
Boodram, who, like his colleagues, was seriously injured, managed to make his way to the entrance of the pipeline and was rescued.
Boodram and his colleagues on the surface subsequently claimed they were barred from attempting to rescue the others, who Boodram claimed were still alive and awaiting assistance.
Three of the divers’ bodies were recovered on February 28, while Nagassar’s was recovered the following day.
Cabinet initially appointed a five-member team to investigate the incident but scrapped the plan due to public criticism, which led to the withdrawal of former T&T Energy Chamber chairman Eugene Tiah.
Jamaican Queen’s Counsel Dennis Morrison was initially appointed to chair the commission alongside commissioner and subsea specialist Gregory Wilson but was replaced by Lynch after he resigned due to personal reasons.
Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, SC, Ronnie Bissessar and Vijaya Maharaj were appointed as counsel to the commission.
In July, the commission issued a notice seeking statements from members of the public relevant to its terms of reference., which includes making findings on whether there are any grounds for criminal proceedings and making recommendations to prevent a recurrence in the future.
The deadline for submissions was August 12.
Lawyers representing Boodram and the families of two of his deceased colleagues wrote to the commission requesting funding for their legal teams and to obtain reports from independent experts for the commission’s consideration. However, they were told that they should seek legal aid through the Office of the Attorney General, as such falls outside the commission’s remit.
