By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News|
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — Leader of the Opposition Azruddin Mohamed has declared that he has “absolutely no confidence” in the five-member international Commission of Inquiry (COI) appointed by President Dr. Irfaan Ali to investigate the fatal capsizing of the state-operated M.V. Barima, which claimed over 70 lives with dozens remaining unaccounted for.
Speaking on Nightly News, Mohamed questioned the panel’s independence and neutrality, alleging that certain commissioners have close commercial and personal ties to senior members of the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration.
Opposition Alleges Conflicts of Interest Among Panelists
The Opposition Leader’s statements follow the private swearing-in ceremony conducted at State House on Thursday morning before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman—an event from which local journalists were notably excluded.
Mohamed claimed that at least two of the five international experts possess business relationships or political proximity to the administration, compromising the panel’s objectivity from its inception:
“I have absolutely no confidence in this commission. One of them has businesses right here in Guyana that are very close to the President and his family,” Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed asserted. “I saw something last night regarding one of the Trinidadian commissioners… How can the Guyanese public expect an impartial investigation under these circumstances?”
[ COI PANEL STRUCTURE & OPPOSITION OBJECTIONS ]
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[ Sworn International Commissioners ] [ Key Opposition Challenges ]
- Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith (Belize - Chairman) - Alleged conflict of interest & close state ties
- Dr. Andrzej Jasionowski (Poland - Naval Architect) - Exclusion of local media from swearing-in ceremony
- Capt. Hamada Fouda (Jamaica - Maritime Auditor) - Refusal of state to salvage vessel for physical proof
- Nyree Dawn Alfonso (Trinidad - Admiralty Attorney) - Absence of civil society consultation on TOR
- Rear Adm. Hayden A. Pritchard (Trinidad - Security)
Physical Salvage Demanded to Prevent Administrative Manipulation
In addition to challenging the commission’s composition, Mohamed reiterated that conducting an inquiry while leaving the M.V. Barima on the seabed off Essequibo severely compromises the probe’s forensic value.
He argued that keeping Minister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill and Minister Deodat Indar in their executive posts while the wreck remains submerged creates an environment vulnerable to evidence manipulation:
“You need the vessel brought to the surface so that you can get positive, verifiable results,” Mohamed stated. “If you don’t have the physical vessel, and you have Ministers Edghill and Indar still sitting in office, the ministry will provide whatever documentation suits themselves so that they will not be blamed for anything.”
Civil Society Echos Calls for Broad Consultation
Mohamed’s reservations reflect wider concerns voiced across civil society. Mike Singh, President of Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI), and Jean La Rose, Executive Director of the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), have similarly urged President Ali to engage civil society organizations, indigenous bodies, and victims’ families in defining the COI’s Terms of Reference (TOR).
With three senior operational crew members remanded on 72 counts of murder and public demonstrations continuing across Demerara, opposition figures and civil society groups maintain that establishing an uncompromised, fully transparent investigative framework remains essential to achieving national justice.
