Kejan Haynes
Energy Minister Stuart Young has announced that Justice Dennis Morrison QC who was chairman of the Commission of Enquiry into the Paria divers’ tragedy has resigned due to personal reasons.
Morrison was sworn in on April 22 by then Acting President Christine Kangaloo.
Minister Young said Morrison did not elaborate more on his reasons for resigning, but he thanked him for his service. He said a lot of work had been going on between the two commissioners and Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj who is serving as legal counsel.
Young said Cabinet had moved swiftly to replace Morrison and has approved Jamaican born, Jerome Lynch QC to serve as the new Chairman of the Commission, and he has accepted the position.
Lynch was called to the bar at Lincoln’s Inn in 1983. He took silk in 2000. He became a “bencher” of Lincoln’s Inn in 2008.
On his website lynchqc.com he describes himself as, “Specialising in all types of serious crime, including murder, fraud, corruption, offences under the Companies and Financial Services Acts, insider trading, money laundering and other white-collar crime.”
Young said he has discussed with Lynch keeping to the original timetables laid out.
The commencement of the procedural hearings were scheduled to begin in August.
“That is still on track,” Young said. “Mr Lynch is going to get here. We’re going to get him sworn in in the shortest possible timeframe. Hopefully we’ll be able to make that announcement very shortly. I’m actually aiming at next week but we have to make the necessary arrangements.
Young said the second commissioner Gregory Wilson and Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj continue to work.
“Mr Lynch understands the task and he is up for it,” Young continued.
Young noted that had the original inquiry launched by the government continued, it would have been completed already since there was a 45 day deadline to produce the report.
The Opposition had vociferously opposed Eugene Tiah’s role in that committee claiming a conflict of interest since Stuart Young previously represented him in an unrelated matter. Tiah resigned on March 8 . Prime Minister Rowley then announced that he was scrapping the five person committee and replacing it with a Commission of Enquiry.
“We did caution at the time it was out of government’s control,” Young said. “There must be an independent enquiry. We are not the ones setting the time frame. They are the ones who have done so.”