Attorney-at-law Javed Shadick has been appointed Secretary to the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) established to investigate the July 18 sinking of the MV Barima.
Shadick, who previously served as Secretary to the Commission of Inquiry into the Mahdia Secondary School dormitory fire and the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the March 2020 General and Regional Elections, will be responsible for overseeing the administrative functions of the inquiry.
Kiskadee Watch understands that the Commission’s Terms of Reference (TOR) are expected to be gazetted, paving the way for the inquiry to formally commence.
When contacted yesterday by Kiskadee Watch and asked how he came to be appointed to the position, Shadick paused for several seconds before responding. Apparently irritated by the question, he declined to elaborate on the selection process and instead referred this publication to the Commissions of Inquiry Act, Chapter 19:03.
Section 6 of the Act provides that:
“The President may appoint a secretary to attend the sittings of the commission to record their proceedings, to keep their papers, summon and minute the testimony of witnesses, and generally to perform such duties connected with such inquiry as the commissioners shall prescribe, subject to the directions, if any, of the President.”
The Commission was appointed by President Irfaan Ali to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deadly ferry disaster.
It is chaired by former Attorney General of Belize, Godfrey Phillip Smith. The other commissioners are Captain Hamada Fouda of Jamaica, Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Hayden Pritchard of Trinidad and Tobago, Nyree Dawn Alfonso of Trinidad and Tobago, and forensic naval engineering expert Dr. Andrzej Jasionowski of Poland.
The Commission is expected to examine the circumstances leading up to the sinking of the vessel, the response to the disaster and any failures that may have contributed to the tragedy.
The MV Barima, an 87-year-old ferry built in 1939, capsized while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma on the night of July 18. The disaster has claimed the lives of 73 people, making it one of Guyana’s deadliest maritime tragedies. At least 30 people remain unaccounted for. While the Government has said that 77 persons were rescued, one of those survivors later succumbed, bringing the death toll to 73.
The Commission’s Terms of Reference are expected to provide greater clarity on the scope of the investigation and the timeline for the inquiry’s hearings.
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