Humphrey and Kuei Tung summoned - Gopee makes first appearance

By CHARLEEN THOMASFORMER UNC Government Ministers John Humphrey and Brian Kuei Tung have been summoned to appear before the Commission of Inquiry into the Piarco Airport Project tomorrow. When the inquiry resumed yesterday after a one-week break, former Chairman of the Airports Authority (AA) Tyrone Gopee appeared for the first time.

Gopee was summoned to cross examine witnesses who implicated him in the project. However the matter was adjourned to next Monday since Gopee is retaining another attorney, Fyard Hosein. He is already represented by attorney Nyree Alfonso. In addition, transcripts of the evidence against Gopee were not made available to Alfonso due to an “unfortunate mix-up”, therefore she was unable to proceed with the questioning of  witnesses. Present to be questioned were Sandra Marchack, Peter Cateau, Eric Pierre and Dr Victor Isaac. NIPDEC’s General Manager Margaret Thompson and project manager Kenneth Critchlow are also to be questioned by Gopee. They will all return on Monday.

Prior to the adjournment of the ten minute sitting to Wednesday at 9.30 am, Chairman Clinton Bernard announced that on that date former Housing Minister John Humphrey and former Finance Minister Brian Kuei Tung are expected to appear. They have been summoned to question witnesses who have implicated them. However when Newsday contacted Humphrey yesterday at lunchtime, he said he had not received correspondence from the Secretariat of the inquiry. He said when he receives such correspondence, he will decide if he will appear. Efforts to contact Kuei Tung to find out if  he will appear proved futile.