Ibrahim out: ex-Barbados CJ for ‘coup’ probe

(Trinidad Express) The proposed appointment of retired Justice of Appeal Mustapha Ibrahim, who was announced on Friday as the chairman of the commission of enquiry into the 1990 coup attempt, has been “reviewed in consultation with the learned judge”, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan stated on Saturday.

Instead, Sir David Simmons, retired Chief Justice of Barbados, will be appointed member and chairman of the commission.

In a release, Ramlogan stated that subsequent to the announcement in Parliament on Friday, Justice Ibrahim contacted him to express his (Ibrahim’s) reservations about accepting the said appointment in light of the fact that he adjudicated on the validity of the amnesty/pardon which was granted to the members of the Jammat-al-Muslimeen.

“Having regard to the Honourable Prime Minister’s public declaration to avoid any perception of bias, it has been decided that Sir David Simmons, retired Chief Justice of Barbados, be appointed instead as a member and chairman of this commission of enquiry,” the Attorney General said.

In announcing the membership in the House of Representatives on Friday, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar stated: “Mr Speaker, there was some cause for concern in selecting people to serve on the commission. In an effort to avoid perceptions of bias we had to check with persons who could have served on this commission to ensure that they may not at one time had said or been involved in comments or expressions of matters relating to the coup or had been involved in any way. So whilst there were many distinguished persons who could have served, we did spend a little time and effort to avoid that from taking place.”

After hearing these statements from the Prime Minister, Justice Ibrahim contacted the Attorney General and raised with him the fact that he had adjudicated on the validity of the Amnesty, sources said.