After the hearings

THE COMMISSION of Inquiry into the Piarco Airport Development Project brought its public sittings to an end on Friday and, it seems, just in time since a rising controversy threatened to distract attention from the central purpose of its marathon exercise. It is unfortunate that the smooth running of the Inquiry ran into some legal turbulence with concerns expressed both by the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Law Association about the way the Inquiry was being conducted. The emotional reaction of Chairman Clinton Bernard to these concerns, particularly to a caution with regard to prejudice issued by the DPP, was also quite disappointing. The Law Association Council has written to the President about this matter but Secretary Hendrickson Seunath SC declined to say whether it had asked for the Inquiry to be ended.

What will be the ultimate consequence, if any, of this dispute is left to be seen, but, as far as we are concerned, we are pleased that a public inquiry into one of the biggest scandals in the country's history has been held and we now look forward to having the Commission's report which, according to Chairman Bernard, will include its findings and recommendations. After 170 days of public hearings — perhaps the longest sitting of any such inquiry in our history — the task of the five Commissioners of reviewing and collating the mass of evidence it has elicited from scores of witnesses must be a difficult one. We hope, however, they would be able to complete their assignment by the end of August. This Commission of Inquiry is the result of an appeal by a number of respectable organisations in the country including the media, the Joint Consultative Council of the construction industry and Transparency International who were concerned with the highly irregular manner in which this massive project was conceived and executed and the recurring revelations of gross misconduct in almost every phase of its construction.

The massive body of evidence given before the Inquiry, however, turned out to be far more shocking than anyone could have imagined, producing an unbelievable picture of mismanagement, a total disregard for proper procedure and controls, all motivated by a greedy desire to milk the project and the public purse for all they were worth. Almost every day of the Inquiry produced a new and demoralising scandal; if ever a State-sponsored project could be described as "a feeding frenzy" this was it. We have steadfastly held the view, and we repeat it now, that such an outrage, such a callous and cold-blooded plundering of public funds as this project has proven to be, cannot be satisfactorily laid to rest until those responsible for indecently enriching themselves from it are brought to justice. Our society dares not overlook this horrendous display of corruption if it has any pretentions to self respect and commitment to maintaining moral standards. We cannot agonise over the level of violent crime, robberies and kidnappings, and remain complacent over the billion dollar criminal complicity that this Inquiry has revealed.

We expect then that the prima facie evidence elicited by the Commission, which will be detailed in its report, will form the basis for immediate investigations and indictments. This is the ultimate purpose of the Inquiry and we hope that the problems that arose during its hearing would not result in hampering this consummation in any serious way. It may be a painstaking legal process, but the Government must discharge its responsibility for dealing with corruption wherever and whenever it occurs in the State sector. It must move on to tackle other highly questionable projects and transactions such as the InnCogen and desalination plants and the WASA-Water Farms matter. Our country must have a zero-tolerance for all forms of criminal activity, not only those of the violent kind but also those by which public office is used for private and personal enrichment.