A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) yesterday rejected the murder charges brought against three T&HD workers over the MV Barima tragedy, accusing the government of attempting to scapegoat them while shielding ministers and senior officials from accountability.
In a statement, which was read by its leader Aubrey Norton during a virtual press conference, the opposition grouping joined calls for the resignations of Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill and Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation Deodat Indar to allow for an impartial and professional investigation.
Captain Kevin Price, Chief Mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts and Goods Superintendent Delon Granderson have been charged with murder following the capsizing and sinking of the government-owned ferry.
APNU described the charges as “ridiculous, vindictive and intended to silence the workers”, arguing that they were instituted before the Commission of Inquiry had met and determined the causes of the disaster.
“Murder ordinarily requires proof of an intention to kill or the legally required equivalent. Nothing publicly shown so far proves that these men deliberately intended to kill passengers,” the party said.
It accused the government of attempting to transform what it described as a systemic maritime failure into dozens of murder charges to protect ministers and senior officials.
According to APNU, the MV Barima was owned by the government and managed by the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) under the Ministry of Public Works. The government, it said, was responsible for the vessel’s maintenance, inspection and certification, as well as terminal operations, passenger management, cargo loading and its eventual dispatch.
“The administration continued to send an 87-year-old vessel into open Atlantic waters while the infrastructure needed for its replacement remained unfinished. That was a government decision,” APNU charged.
The party said Prime Minister Mark Phillips had acknowledged that heavy government cargo was aboard the vessel and that there appeared to have been a breakdown in the routine inspection process before it departed.
It said reports indicated that the cargo included heavy machinery, vehicles and construction materials. The Ministry of Public Works has since stated on its Facebook page that it had one Honda Side-by-Side ATV, six drums of gasoline and four drums of diesel on the vessel.
“These are not minor administrative matters. They go directly to the seaworthiness, loading and stability of the vessel,” the statement said.
APNU also said that the Director of Public Prosecutions had acknowledged that the vessel’s navigational and safety systems were defective. It questioned who allowed the ferry to sail with those defects, who certified it, supervised its maintenance, approved its cargo and authorised its departure.
The opposition grouping referred to Attorney General Anil Nandlall’s description of the accused as “primary offenders” and questioned whether there were also “secondary offenders” among government officials.
APNU said survivors had spoken publicly about overcrowding, water entering the ferry and the volume of cargo aboard. It noted that Edghill had initially said the vessel was operating within capacity but later acknowledged that significant government cargo was aboard and that normal inspection procedures might have broken down.
It argued that this raised the possibility that the cargo, its placement or its combined weight contributed to the ferry’s instability. The party, however, said it was not reaching a technical conclusion before experts had completed their work.
It demanded that the government preserve and disclose the complete cargo manifest, the verified weight of every item and the identities of the ministries and agencies which owned the cargo.
APNU also called for the release of the vessel’s stability calculations and loading plan; inspection and seaworthiness certificates; maintenance reports and defect logs; terminal surveillance recordings; alcohol and drug-testing records; communications among the crew, T&HD management and the ministry; and the names of every official who authorised the loading and departure.
“These documents must not be altered or destroyed,” the party warned.
It also called on Edghill to disclose how many captains had left the job or were dismissed after refusing to operate overloaded vessels.
Addressing allegations that crew members had tested positive for narcotics, APNU said any credible evidence of impairment must be investigated. However, it argued that a positive screening result did not answer whether the ferry was seaworthy, whether its safety and navigational systems were functional, whether it was overloaded or improperly loaded, or why some passengers’ names were absent from the official manifest.
The party also questioned why routine inspections failed, why the ageing vessel remained in service, why replacement infrastructure was incomplete and whether the emergency response was prompt and adequate.
“The drug allegation must not be a smokescreen behind which ministerial and institutional failures disappear and the ministers are protected,” APNU said.
It warned that the use of murder charges in circumstances involving an unresolved disaster should concern workers, particularly public servants operating within government-controlled systems.
APNU called for an independent review of the appropriateness of the charges and respect for the constitutional rights and presumption of innocence of the accused.
It also demanded an investigation of the full ministerial, managerial and regulatory chain of responsibility; the removal of officials whose conduct is being examined from operational oversight; compensation and long-term support for victims, survivors and affected families; and a professional and independent Commission of Inquiry which commands public confidence.
The party said the inquiry should hold public hearings except where restrictions were necessary to protect legitimate interests.
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