Rowley/Landate Commission ends

PUBLIC hearing of the Commission of Inquiry into allegations of impropriety against Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley as it relates to the construction of the Scarborough Hospital, and the award of State contracts to NH International (Caribbean) Ltd (NHIC) and Warner Construction Ltd, yesterday came to an end. During the last month, the commission, chaired by retired judge Annestine Sealey, heard evidence from several witnesses.  Yesterday’s sitting was for the purpose of hearing closing addresses by attorneys for the various individuals and representatives of State and private institutions who had given evidence during the inquiry.

Rowley, who gave evidence on Wednesday and Thursday in response to the allegations against him, sat in the public gallery for yesterday’s morning session. In his address to commissioners Sealey, Dr Chandrabhan Sharma and Eustace Hobson, attorney Robin Montano, who represented Barrington “Skippy” Thomas, submitted that the evidence showed that materials were moved from the hospital project site to the Landate project site and that no payment had been made for them. Montano said he was “baffled” as to why the commission had not requested a copy of the cheque if payments had been made. The attorney said he was also curious about the non-appearance before the commission of Rowley’s wife, Sharon, the reported owner of Landate.

According to Montano, the commission needed to decide on three issues:  Was there movement of materials from the hospital site to Landate? Were those materials illegally moved? Was there evidence of impropriety that needed to be further investigated? He advised the commission to ignore the minister’s claim that the allegations were politically motivated. Rowley’s attorney, Gilbert Petersen, submitted that the evidence, apart from that of Thomas, showed that the minister had absolutely no involvement in the procurement process of State contracts. 

He insisted that the evidence of Thomas was not true, highlighting the fact that Rowley and Thomas were “political opponents.” Petersen said Thomas was of a questionable character. Attorneys for the commission, Trevor Lee SC, Andre des Vignes and Morris Valere, gave the commission extensive directives and recommendations for dealing with the evidence presented to it. The commission is expected to submit a written report by August 20.