In this week’s edition of the ‘Public Interest’, when he cited the importance of several CoIs undertaken by the APNU+AFC Administration since it assumed office almost one year ago, the Head of State made this comment in noting that the Georgetown Prison inquiry is “going on much too long”.

He said he has asked that the inquiry be brought to an end as early as possible.

President David Granger

Speaking on the CoIs, President Granger noted that the Government convened the inquiries to determine the position of certain public sector agencies.

Speaking on the inquiry into the Public Service, President Granger said he has not seen the report compiled by the three-member Commission under the chairmanship of Professor Harold Lutchman. That report, he said, “ought to be the basis on which modifications can be made to emoluments to public servants”.

According to the President, there is no obligation on the part of the Government to carry out every recommendation made in the report.

As regards a CoI into the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) based on the allegations of corruption by alleged drug lord Barry Dataram, the President said the ongoing session is simpler, and he expressed hope that the findings of that inquiry would be reported.

As regards the prisons, he said that last May, when the Government assumed office, there was a stack of unimplemented recommendations made in the 2003 Disciplined Forces Report. He noted that had those recommendations been implemented earlier, the March 2016 prison riots would have been prevented.

He said that based on his knowledge, he knew almost instinctively that the Mazaruni Prisons would be under consideration in light of the riots.

Holistically, the President said, he is quite sure that some of the problems the Government faces can be resolved if the responsible officers implement recommendations made by those inquiries.

On March 3 last, 17 inmates at the Georgetown Prison were burnt to death in a fire that 22 of them were allegedly responsible for starting. The remaining five have allegedly suffered serious injuries.

The CoI into the Camp Street Prison riot began shortly after that March 3 incident. The inquiry is headed by retired judge Justice James Patterson and two commissioners: former Director of Prisons Dale Erskine and Merle Mendonza of the Guyana Human Rights Association.

The ongoing inquiry has seen claims made by prisoners and prison officers.

The commissioners have been examining the circumstances, causes and conditions that led to the disturbances on March 03; the nature of all injuries sustained by the prisoners, and trying to determine whether the conduct of the staff of the Guyana Prison Service who were on duty on March 03 had conformed with the Standard Operating Procedures of the Prison Service.