President to get $5M report today

PRESIDENT George Maxwell Richards will today receive the report on the Commission of Inquiry into the Piarco Airport development project. A release from the Ministry of Information said the report will be presented to His Excellency at 1 pm at President’s House. Chairman of the Inquiry, retired Chief Justice Clinton Bernard, is expected to present the report. Contacted yesterday for a comment on Newsday’s front page story yesterday that there was a rift among the four Commissioners and that a minority report would be presented, Chairman Bernard refused to comment. Newsday sources have suggested that the four Commissioners were unable to agree on certain matters and several meetings were held this week in an attempt to gain unanimity.

The four Commissioners are Bernard, Victor Hart, Marie Ange Knights and Keith Sirju. The fifth Commissioner, Peter Bynoe, who was forced to withdraw in May this year because of illness, died on Monday. He will be buried today at 11 am. The Inquiry, the longest and most controversial in TT’s history, began on August 23, 2002 and ended on July 4, 2003 after 170 days of sittings. A total of 66 witnesses gave evidence although the key persons involved in the project refused to participate, claiming the Inquiry was biased. Up to the end of April this year, The Inquiry cost taxpayers $5 million. Bernard and lead attorney for the Commission, Theodore Guerra SC both received $1 million each before tax. The other Commissioners were paid $335,000 each, which was taxable. The administrative cost of the inquiry was put at $406,559.90 up to the end of April.