Jesse Ramdeo
Senior Reporter
jesse.ramdeo@cnc3.co.tt
Attorney Prakash Ramadhar has issued an ultimatum to Prime Minister Stuart Young, insisting that the one million dollar ex-gratia payment promised to victims of the Paria diving tragedy be delivered within one week. Failure to meet this deadline will result in legal action, he added.
“Today, with my colleague Ms Saira Lakhan, president of the Assembly of Southern Lawyers, and her law firm Magnus, we have issued a letter to the Prime Minister calling upon him, we do not believe that, without prod, this cheque would be forthcoming.”
During a media conference at his office in Curepe yesterday, Ramadhar, who is representing the families of Fyzal Kurban and Yusuff Henry, confirmed that a letter was sent to the Prime Minister urging him to honour the payment.
“We know the sufferings these families have had to endure, and this payment promised, we want it materialised into a cheque ... because the Prime Minister himself has spoken to deliver to Ms Kurban and Aaliyah’s mom the cheque of one million dollars in one week’s time, which is the 14th of April.”
On February 25, 2022, LMCS workers Christopher Boodram, Kazim Ali Jnr, Yusuf Henry, Rishi Nagassar, and Fyzal Kurban were sucked into a 36-inch pipeline while doing repairs at Paria Fuel’s Pointe-a-Pierre facility. Boodram managed to swim out and, when he got to the surface, pleaded with those present to assist his colleagues, who were still alive but injured, in the pipeline. However, Paria was accused of preventing rescue efforts.
During last Thursday’s post-Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Young announced the payment to the relatives of the four deceased divers as well as the lone survivor.
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar questioned the timing of the move and alleged it was an election ploy.
Ramadhar cautioned the Government against delaying the disbursement.
“He made it political. The country will hear, and they will make a decision as to what sort of government and what sort of word we have, and ultimately, as I repeat, we will take legal action in due course.”
Ramadhar further contended that Finance Minister Vishnu Dhanpaul should also play his part in ensuring the transaction is completed on time.
“I want to tell Paria and all the lawyers who have refused us repeatedly, pre-action protocols ... and any liability, even after the Commission of Enquiry that we spent untold millions on, is not their fault. Her Excellency’s commission has found all of these things; they had denied liability. When you look at the lawyers’ fees, how many millions? And you’re telling me the Minister of Finance can’t find a five?”
Meanwhile, Celisha Kurban, widow of Fyzal Kurban, detailed the financial challenges her family has been enduring to ensure her daughter completes her tertiary-level studies in mechanical engineering at the University of Calgary in Canada.
She noted that the money will not only help fund tuition expenses but also reduce mounting debt.
Kurban said, “She (my daughter) had to work three jobs and go to school and study. She was tutoring a child at once, then at a restaurant as a cashier and at another stall in a mall to clean out on an evening to make ends meet. I had to sell a lot of assets to make ends meet; it has been very challenging.”
Ramadhar maintained that the families are not seeking charity but what has been pledged by the state in good faith.
Efforts by Guardian Media to contact Prime Minister Stuart Young and Finance Minister Vishnu Dhanpaul for comment were unsuccessful up to late yesterday.