Caricom confirms that trio nominated for Linden Commission of Inquiry

The Caribbean Community this afternoon confirmed that the three Caricom nationals have been recommended to serve on the Commission of Inquiry into the protests at Linden on July 18 which resulted in three deaths.

It said that following on a request from the Government of Guyana, the recommendations were made by the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Ambassador Irwin LaRocque after consultations.

It issued the following statement which confirmed the facts reported in today’s edition of Stabroek News.

STATEMENT BY THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY SECRETARIAT  ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF COMMISSIONERS RE LINDEN INQUIRY

Following the unfortunate incidents surrounding the protests at Linden on 18 July 2012 which led to the deaths of three (3) citizens of Guyana, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has been engaged with the Government of Guyana on a continuous basis.

At the request of the Government of Guyana, the Community has recommended three distinguished CARICOM Nationals to serve on a Commission of Inquiry which is expected to enquire into and report on matters related to the events of that day. The three CARICOM nationals are: Mr Justice Lensley Wolfe O.J., Mr KD Knight S.C and Ms. Dana Seetahal S.C.

Mr Justice Wolfe is a distinguished jurist and former Chief Justice of Jamaica.  He is currently Chairman of the Public Service Commission of Jamaica and also served as chairman of the Police Public Complaints Authority of Jamaica.  Mr Knight, a practising attorney, has been a Senior Counsel since 1995 and has had a distinguished career in politics and law in Jamaica. He held positions in the cabinet of Jamaica including the portfolios of National Security and Foreign Affairs.  Ms Seetahal, also a practising attorney, has been a Senior Counsel since 2006 and is a former Independent Senator in the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament and a former lecturer at the Hugh Wooding Law School in that country.