As President Irfaan Ali announced the initiation of a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the MV Barima Tragedy, a growing number of attorneys remain committed to representing the families.
Member of Parliament Dexter Todd told the Guyana Standard that following President Ali’s announcement, the team of attorney remains vigilant to ensure that the families are cautioned about signing documents of settlement and compensation similarly done with the Mahadia Dorm fire tragedy.
He explained that the process of singing documents accepting compensation and barring legal action may unfold following the COI and was clear that he does not anticipate any related actions happening before. Todd emphasized that with the government having officially announced the COI, attention now shifts to the legal team responsible for representing the interests of the victims.
Todd noted that the legal team will need to consider how to effectively represent the persons at the COI. He also highlighted the importance of understanding the scope of the inquiry, particularly concerning issues such as compensation.
“Now that the government has announced the COI officially, we will have to look at the lawyers to see how they will be able to represent the interests of the persons at the COI,” Todd stated “I want to think that one of the terms they are going to look at is the whole term of compensation, etc.”
Todd expressed anticipation regarding the terms of reference for the inquiry, mentioning that he was awaiting details on how broad or limited those terms will be.
Last Friday, Todd announced that the APNU has assembled a legal team to assist the families. Additionally, several other lawyers have expressed their willingness to form a group to represent the families’ interests. Currently, about 15 lawyers have indicated their intent to provide legal assistance for families seeking justice in court related to the tragic incident.
The number is expected to grow as investigations into the incident progress. Todd explained that some of the lawyers interested in forming a support group are not affiliated with any political party. They have chosen to operate independently, citing the lack of mobilization or direction from the Bar Association as a reason for forming their own collective to assist the families.
