Garcia: Las Alturas Commission’s use of Errata dangerous

The Commission’s Errata (a list of corrected errors) was issued to President Anthony Carmona and then read aloud in the Lower House yesterday by Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley. The Errata, dated September 12 and signed by CoI chairman, retired Justice Mustapha Ibrahim, was supplied to media houses by Parliament.

While the original report said that under Garcia Buildings H and I were built in an unsuitable area and then earmarked for demolition, the Errata said, “It was under his stewardship that Buildings H and I were proposed to be built in an area unsuitable for development and were recommended for demolition”.

Two hours later, Garcia in a statement condemned the Commission’s use of the Errata to correct the official record saying it is a “most dangerous development” that must be condemned in the strongest terms.

He said the Commission issued the Errata after being threatened with a lawsuit by himself for publishing damaging and misleading falsehoods.

Garcia said the Commission’s derogatory remarks about him in its report of August 30 were highly publicised. However he had refuted these findings as “irrational and unreasonable” and the result of a political witch-hunt, and he had threatened to file for judicial review.

“Having been caught-out, the Commission has now rushed to publish its Errata, by which they now seek to correct their falsehoods by changing the very findings that the former Managing Director was about to challenge.

In so doing, the Commission is acting as a law unto itself. By its actions the Commission has demonstrated that it is hell-bent on preventing the former Managing Director from obtaining redress from the Courts, as is his constitutional right.”