Piarco inquiry adjourned to May

After a three-week adjournment, the Piarco Airport Inquiry has been ad-journed yet again. The reason for the latest development comes as a result of one of the defence attorneys being unable to attend the proceedings due to a pending medical condition. When the matter was called yesterday by Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls at the Port-of-Spain Eighth Court, a medical certificate sent by Senior Counsel Russel Martineau, was passed around for observation by members of both the defence and prosecution teams, to which both sides did not have any objections. On the last occasion, it was indicated that Martineau would resume cross-examination of the last witness called by the State to testify in the matter.

However, as a result of the attorney’s absence at yesterday’s proceedings, Mc Nicolls found it suitable to adjourn the matter to May 2. On the previous occasion, the matter was adjourned because one of the accused fell ill and was granted leave by a doctor. John Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Maritime General Insurance Company, was reportedly ill after he was diagnosed as having a pulmonary infection. His attorney Senior Counsel Frank Solomon’s request for an adjournment raised strong concerns by the magistrate who said he felt time was being lost and he did not want the public to feel there was little being done to expedite the matter.

On that day, both the prosecution and defence were reminded that on the resumption of hearing, they would be running a tight schedule, sitting from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 3 pm. Eight persons and three companies are charged with a total of 21 offences relating to the new terminal development project at Piarco Airport. They are former government ministers Brian Kuei Tung and Russel Huggins; CEO of Northern Construction Ltd (NCL) Ish Galbaransingh; CEO of Maritime General Insurance Company John Henry Smith; Maritime Group of Companies chairman Steve Ferguson; company secretary Barbara Gomes; businesswoman Renee Pierre, and Fidelity Insurance and Leasing Company Ltd.