HGP Nightly News – Salvaging the sunken MV Barima could cost taxpayers between US$8 million and US$10 million, Attorney General Anil Nandlall has disclosed as he defended the government’s decision to use an open tender rather than appoint a contractor directly.
Speaking on his weekly programme, Issues in the News, Nandlall said the government agreed to recover the vessel after consultations with families affected by the July 18 disaster.
He claimed some relatives had initially asked that the wreck not be disturbed but later changed their position and requested its recovery. The government then agreed to proceed with the salvage, he said.
“The government said, ‘Okay, we will raise the boat,’” Nandlall stated. “It will cost somewhere between eight to 10 million US dollars to salvage the boat.”
The Attorney General defended the decision to invite competitive bids, arguing that selecting a company directly would have exposed the administration to allegations of favouritism or a cover-up.
“If the government had gone and chosen some company to do the job, they would have said that the government is handpicking some family or friend,” he said.
Nandlall accused opposition parties of shifting their criticism after the government accepted calls to recover the vessel. He argued that they had first alleged the wreck would be left on the seabed to conceal evidence and then criticised the procurement timetable once the salvage process was announced.
Opposition representatives and grieving families have argued that the tender process is taking too long and could further delay the recovery of possible remains and evidence. They have called for emergency procurement or another expedited mechanism.
Nandlall rejected that criticism, accusing the opposition of exploiting the grief surrounding the tragedy for political advantage.
“No matter what is done, these people will not be satisfied,” he claimed.
The Attorney General also criticised opposition politicians for supporting the three men charged with murder over the disaster. He singled out PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton’s call for the charges to be withdrawn and APNU parliamentarian Dr. Dexter Todd’s participation in the defence team.
Nandlall contended that representing the accused while advocating for victims could create a conflict of interest. That is his legal and political interpretation; no court has made such a finding.
The three accused, Captain Kevin Price, Chief Mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts and Goods Superintendent Delon Granderson, are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Defence lawyers have argued that the murder charges were premature and that the men risk being made scapegoats before the Commission of Inquiry determines whether wider institutional failures contributed to the disaster.
Nandlall maintained that the charges were recommended independently by the Director of Public Prosecutions after reviewing the police investigation file.
“The Attorney General has nothing to do with this,” he said, stressing that the DPP is constitutionally independent and not subject to the direction of the Executive.
The criminal prosecution and the Commission of Inquiry are separate processes. The criminal court will determine whether the evidence supports the charges against the three men, while the inquiry has a broader mandate to investigate the vessel’s seaworthiness, loading, regulatory oversight and the search-and-recovery response.
