Local gov’t commission still to act on city probe findings

Carol Sooba

A month after a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the operations of City Hall submitted its report, the Local Government Commission (LGC) appears to be struggling to implement its recommendations and might soon find itself embroiled in a legal challenge.

Stabroek News understand that LGC Chair Mortimer Mingo with the support of three other commissioners have voted to have Commissioner Carol Sooba barred from discussing and implementing the report’s recommendations since they argue she has an active interest in the outcome.

The CoI has recommended that Sooba, who was dismissed from her substantive post as Council Legal Officer in July 2015, be compensated for “wrongful removal from office.” According to the report submitted by retired Justice Cecil Kennard, the lone commissioner, Sooba submitted a written statement in which she claimed that her employment was wrongfully terminated and that she should be paid her full benefits until she attains the age of 55.