Gopee ditches Inquiry

FORMER Airports Authority (AA) Chairman Tyrone Gopee withdrew from the Commission of Inquiry into the Piarco International Airport Project, NIPDEC was fearful of incurring the wrath of former Housing Minister John Humphrey and Ishwar Galbaransingh’s Northern Construction Limited (NCL) wielded significant political clout within the former United National Congress (UNC) government.

Prior to the start of yesterday’s hearing at the Caribbean Court of Justice, Gopee’s attorney, Carol Gobin, announced that the former AA chairman refused to participate further in the Inquiry and that the reasons for his withdrawal were outlined in a letter dated April 17, 2003. In that letter, Gobin claimed the Commission was acting contrary to Section 7 of the Commission of Inquiry Act Chap 19:01, which states that the Commissioners have a statutory duty to make a “full, faithful and impartial enquiry”.  She also alleged that the procedure adopted by the Commission was flawed and had unfairly condemned Gopee “in the public eye and through the media, without affording him a timely and fair opportunity to rebutt allegations which have been made against him”.

Commission chairman, retired Chief Justice Clinton Bernard, said Gopee was summoned to appear before the Commission on February 28 to question persons who had made allegations against him and to give evidence on his own behalf. Bernard added that the records showed that Gopee ignored that summons. He said Gopee was again summoned to appear on March 17 and did so. On that occasion, Bernard continued, the former chairman was represented by Gobin, who questioned matters that were outside the Commission’s terms of reference. 

Bernard said Gopee was summoned to appear on April 16  and produce a firearms contract reportedly signed between the AA and the Firearms Training Institute, which he was unable produce.  At a previous hearing, Deputy Security Manager Leo Reyes said he had no knowledge of that contract. Asked by Bernard if she had received a transcript of evidence given by former Secretary to Cabinet Andrea Woo-Gabriel in which Woo-Gabriel said Cabinet had no record of giving permission to the Customs Department to waive duties on specialty equipment from American company Calamaquip for use at Piarco, Gobin said she had not. The attorney added that the transcript was irrelevant since Gopee was withdrawing from the Inquiry. Bernard said that if Gopee and his attorneys disagreed “with all that has gone on here, they have a right to go to the High Court and question it”.

As Gopee made his departure, Woo-Gabriel and former NIPDEC manager Ian Telfer who came prepared to be questioned by Gopee’s attorney, swiftly followed the former AA chairman out the door. The hearing continues today.