By Sue-Ann Wayow
IT’S unacceptable that 24 hours after four men went missing inside a pipeline that Paria Fuel Trading Company Ltd started to make accommodations to facilitate the family members of the men.
This was stated by chairman of the Commission of the Enquiry (CoE) with the mandate to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the men Jerome Lynch, KC.
He was speaking to Paria’s General Manager Mushtaq Mohammed who gave evidence on Wednesday at the resumption of the CoE’s evidentiary hearings.
Mohammed was at the time being questioned by CoE’s counsel Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, SC, who asked if any provisions were made for the family members seeking answers from Paria about their loved ones.
Maharaj also read from a witness statement by Vanessa Kussie which gave an account of her ordeal upon hearing that her husband Rishi Nagassar was missing in the pipeline.
Families and supporters had camped outside Paria’s compound in Pointe-a-Pierre from Friday, February 25, 2022, when Fyzal Kurban, Rishi Nagassar, Kazim Ali Jr and Yusuf Henry first went missing.
Christopher Boodram who was also sucked into the pipeline at Berth #6 emerged from the pipeline on Friday afternoon.
Lynch said, “Once you knew as you did, that there was a major incident that could potentially involve the death of leading up to five divers, did you as the managing director make any facility available at Paria to accommodate the immediate relatives and keep them informed on a step by step basis?”
“Those arrangements were made on Saturday morning,” Mohammed said.
Lynch said, ” Twenty hours after the event is not an acceptable approach is it?”
After a pause Lynch said, “Come on Mr Mohammed..”
Mohammed said, “No, no, no. It is not acceptable. And I would not argue the point.”
Lynch continued that something should have been done for the families instead of them being left confused and worried.
Mohammed had said head of LMCS who was subcontracted to conduct the works Kazim Ali, Sr was liaising with the family members.
He also said that he was not aware of what was happening outside Paria’s gates on that Friday night.
