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Protracted delays in gov’t affidavit submissions continue to plague COI

Inquiry Commissioner, the Right Honourable Sir Gary Hickinbottom.

Protracted delays in the submission of affidavits to the ongoing Commission of Inquiry (COI) have continued to hamper its progress, officials have said.

At a directions hearing held yesterday, COI attorney, Bilal Rawat spoke about repeated failures of the government to meet deadlines and extensions to those deadlines in submitting affidavits they were asked to complete.

He referenced at least two recent incidents where persons designated to appear before the COI in the coming days, only just submitted their affidavits days earlier.

Rawat has repeatedly stated that such delays continue to undermine his team’s ability to properly prepare for the hearings and puts the COI’s hearing timetable at risk, as a result.

In one particular incident, Rawat noted that Financial Secretary, Jeremiah Frett only submitted his affidavit last Friday evening – this was despite the affidavit being sworn since August 26, 2021.

Affidavits from Carolyn O’Neal Morton and Tasha Bertie – both Permanent Secretaries within the government – were also not received until late Sunday night, September 5, Rawat revealed.

Delays can’t be allowed to continue

Rawat said he felt that with the COI’s break for the summer, the longstanding issues of continued delays in the submission of affidavits might have been rectified. 

But this was not the case.

The attorney said the COI has reached a stage where delays of this sort cannot be allowed to continue.

“The situation we have reached, it is and can properly be said, to be an unhappy one,” Rawat said.

The government’s explanation

But according to government-hired attorney, Hussein Haeri, who appeared on behalf of Attorney General Dawn Smith yesterday, many of the affidavits requested by the COI are quite exhaustive and amounted to thousands of pages for a single affidavit in some instances.

Haeri said many persons have also received multiple affidavit requests, often with the same deadline.

Responses to the affidavits, he further explained, has required enormous efforts on the part of ministers, public officials, and the government-established Inquiry Response Unit (IRU).

 

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14 Comments

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  1. willful act says:

    The VIP doing that on purpose

    Like 21
  2. Hmmm says:

    I agree. They are being willful. The COI should show them how serious they are right about now.

    Like 19
  3. PT9 says:

    My advice to the COI STOP playing with these people they had time to do what they had to do. The AG office came up with the fact that some of the affidavit requests amounted to thousands of pages, I heard the Commissioner tell you yesterday that he underlined what he wanted from those pages so Mr. Hussein Haeri there is no excuse. I think that they should jail those who are not complying with the COI until they submit their affidavit. The COI was gone for over a month you guys had all the time you needed to be ready for their return, but you all laid back thinking that Willock will win. What you all are doing right now is making things worse for yourselves, keep it up and see where it gets you.

    Like 35
  4. Inquiry on COI says:

    We need an inquiry on the COI. You all came to investigate but ended up breaking the law.

    Now you talking crap about delay when you fully well know we working under constraints.

    GED OUTTA HERE MATE!!!

    Like 1
    Dislike 42
    • Confused says:

      Working my foot. Moving paper from left to right on the desk. You’ll fully well know that 90 percent of you nothing but wait to collect on month ends.
      The COI is here to do a job and must I remind you that the Bvi belongs to the uk and not the other way around.
      Most of you who are running off your mouths needs to read the laws and gather some common sense.

  5. Ning says:

    Ning reincarnated as a white man

    Like 1
    Dislike 10
  6. Thoughtful Sailor says:

    Delays start, right at the top. They are chronic. Perhaps better and more timely record keeping would have helped.

  7. action says:

    Stop taking this crap just let England do as they please. this Government is too unfair and bold with their corruption. they feel like they are invincible.

    Like 11
  8. action says:

    it appears like they don’t have any so they are delaying.

    Like 4
    Dislike 1
  9. All the more Reason says:

    For a takeover.

  10. LILLIAN says:

    MY FRINED WORED AT THE GOVERMENT NDP PARTY AND HE AND A LOT OF LOCALS WERE STEALING LANDS AND MAKING SIGN MONEY FROM THEE GOVERMENT TO TAKE THE MONEY…. NDP MANAGEMENT

    Like 3
    Dislike 2
  11. Public Officers says:

    The COI needs to tell the truth. They asked for thousands of documents in some unreasonable time frames knowing that it is not possible then they come to the public to make it seem as if the public officers are the delay. This feels like slavery with no one to turn to because the Governor only agrees with the COI and doesn’t care about the public officers.

    Dislike 10
  12. Jimmy Jowe says:

    The AG and them busy redacting public records on website revealing just how dirty and incompetent our government officials have been over a number of administrations. We in trouble Buddy If this is supposed to be the top cop

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