Wednesday, August 05, 2015

Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry - Oral and Written Submissions

By Selwyn A. Pieters, B.A., LL.B., L.E.C.
Lawyer & Notary Public (Ontario, Canada)
Attorney-at-Law (Republic of Guyana, Island of Trinidad)
Created August 05, 2015 Updated February 03, 2016

The Report of the International Commission of Inquiry into the death of Dr. Walter Rodney aka the Rodney Commission of Inquiry or Rodney COI is scheduled to be delivered to H.E. David Arthur Granger, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana on February 08, 2016. Initially the President provided the Commission with a deadline of November 30, 2015 in which to produce its findings and recommendations. However, extensions were provided to enable the Commission to complete its work.

On June 13, 2013, the thirty-third anniversary of the June 13, 1980 explosion that killed Dr. Walter Rodney, the Government of the Republic of Guyana announced that it has approved the establishment of an International Commission of Inquiry into the death of Dr. Walter Rodney.

In February 2014, the then President of the Republic of Guyana, His Excellency, Donald Ramotar, appointed The Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry. Three
Commissioners were sworn in to probe the matter: Sir. Richard L. Cheltenham, K.A.,
Q.C., Ph.D – Chairman (Barbados); Mrs. Jacqueline Samuels-Brown, Q.C. (Jamaica)
and Mr. Seenath Jairam, S.C. (Trinidad).

The Commission’s mandate established by its terms of reference  was:-

(i) To examine the facts and circumstances immediately prior, at the time of, and subsequent to, the death of Dr. Walter Rodney in order to determine, as far as possible, who or what was responsible for the explosion resulting in the death of Dr. Walter Rodney;
(ii) To inquire into the cause of the explosion in which Dr. Walter Rodney died, whether it was an act of terrorism, and if so, who were the perpetrators;
(iii) To specifically examine the role, if any, which the late Gregory Smith, Sergeant of the Guyana Defence Force, played in the death of Dr. Walter Rodney and if so, to inquire into who may have counselled, procured, aided and or abetted him to do so, including facilitating his departure from Guyana after Dr. Walter Rodney’s death;
(iv) To examine and report on the actions and activities of the State, such as, the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana National Service, the Guyana People’s Militia and those who were in command and superintendence of these agencies, to determine whether they were tasked with the surveillance of and the carrying out of actions, and whether they did execute those tasks and carried out those actions against the Political Opposition, for the period 1st January, 1978 to 31st December, 1980;
(v) To examine, review and report on earlier investigations and enquiries done on and into the death of Dr. Walter Rodney.

The first session of public hearing commenced on April 28, 2014 and concluded on
May 02, 2014.

The last session of public hearing in which evidence was elicited from witnesses commenced at 0930 hours on March 23, 2015 and concluded on March 27, 2015. The main witness Donald Rodney, first appeared on January 30, 2015 and continued his evidence from March 23, 2015.  His evidence was followed by another significant witness Anne Wagner, the sister of William Gregory Smith.

The Commission has not seen fit to create a repository of important evidence, submissions, news reports and other documents relative to the Commission. This blog therefore is the most comprehensive collective of material in relation to the work of the Rodney Commission of Inquiry.

Final Sitting of the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry


A final sitting of the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry took place from the 27th July, 2015 to 31st July, 2015.

Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th July, 2015 was allocated to the attorneys for interested parties to provide oral submissions.

Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry - Written Arguments of Counsel for the People's National Congress

Basil Williams and Selwyn A. Pieters, Written Submissions of the People's National Congress, July 23, 2015

Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry - Oral Arguments of Counsel for the People's National Congress
PNC Counsel Submissions Part 1


PNC Counsel Submissions Part 2

PNC Counsel Submissions Part 3

PNC Counsel Submissions Part 4

PNC Counsel Submissions Part 5

Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry - Arguments of Counsel for the Commission and Counsel for the Immediate Family of Dr. Walter Rodney


*****
Selwyn A. Pieters and Brian M. Clarke, Written submissions of the Guyana Trades Union Congress, July 24, 2015

Andrew Pilgrim, Q.C., Closing argument of the Immediate family, July 24, 2015

Keith Scotland, Closing Argument of Donald Rodney, July 24, 2015

Latchmie Rahmahat, Closing Argument of Commission Counsel, July 28, 2015

Christopher Ram, Closing Argument on behalf of the Working People's Alliance, July 28, 2015.


*****

RESOURCES AND BACKGROUND MATERIAL

Guyana Gazette, July 11, 2015

Exhibit List, Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry

Walter Rodney, The Struggle Goes On Walter Rodney Speech (20.7.1979)

Magistrate Edwin Pratt, Report of the inquest into the deathWalter Rodney, 1988

International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Report, May 1995

David A. Granger, National Defence: A Brief History of the Guyana Defence Force, 1965 – 2005, Georgetown, Guyana : Free Press, "On Paramountcy"

Special Branch, Guyana Police Force, Gregory Smith (re Walter Rodney)April 1980.

K.V. Jairam, Why I joined the P.N.C.

WARCOI Verbatim Report - Preliminary Arguments and Final Closing Arguments, July 27, 2015

GDF Colonel to head Special Organised Crime Unit, September 06, 2014, Kaieteur News
Evidence of Lt_Col_Sydney Charles James August 25, 2014
Evidence of Lt_Col_Sydney Charles James August 26, 2014
Evidence of Lt_Col_Sydney Charles James August 27, 2014
Evidence of Lt_Col_Sydney Charles James August 28, 2014

Transcript of Evidence of Jocelyn Dow August 29, 2014

Transcript of Evidence of Ms. Karen DeSousa and Tacuma Ogunseye, August 4, 2014

Walter Rodney COI, August 4, 2014 - Part 1, Stabroek News, August 4, 2014
Walter Rodney COI, August 4, 2014 - Part 2, Stabroek News, August 4, 2014
Walter Rodney COI, August 4, 2014 - Part 3, Stabroek News, August 4, 2014
Walter Rodney COI, August 4, 2014 - Part 4, Stabroek News, August 4, 2014
Walter Rodney COI, August 4, 2014 - Part 5, Stabroek News, August 4, 2014
Walter Rodney COI, August 4, 2014 - Part 6, Stabroek News, August 4, 2014
Walter Rodney COI, August 4, 2014 - Part 7, Stabroek News, August 4, 2014

Transcript of Evidence of Gerry Gouveia  June 26, 2014 and June 27, 2014.
Walter Rodney COI, June 26, 2014 - Part 1, Stabroek News, June 26, 2014
Walter Rodney COI, June 26, 2014 - Part 2, Stabroek News, June 26, 2014
Walter Rodney COI, June 26, 2014 - Part 3, Stabroek News, June 26, 2014
Walter Rodney COI, June 26, 2014 - Part 4, Stabroek News, June 26, 2014
Capitol News, June 26, 2014
GINA, June 26, 2014
Demerara Waves, Rodney Inquiry: Gerry Gouveia believes he transported Gregory Smith to Kwakwani, June 26, 2014
Gouveia flew plane that spirited Smith away — Guyana Times, June 26, 2014
Kaieteurnewsonline, Chairman has shown his bias – Harmon, June 27, 2014

The evidence of Joe Hamilton June 13, 2014

The evidence of Major-General (retd) Norman McLean  on June 05, 2014

Excerpts of May 30, 2014 and June 02, 2014 evidence of Eusi Kwayana 
See also Transcript of evidence of Tacuma Ogunseye June 25, 2014;
Transcript of evidence of Dr. Nigel Westmaas June 30, 2014July 01, 2014.

Shaun Michael Samaroo Articles in the Guyana Chronicle:
March 28, 2015, Hanoman discredits Wagner’s testimony, Guyana Chronicle;   March 26, 2015 Wagner to unveil secret list of ‘big names’ – Says assassination suspect Gregory Smith revealed list of names connected to Dr Walter Rodney’s assassination Guyana Chronicle; January 28, 2015 Robert Allan Gates makes stunning claim at Rodney Commission –McLean, Lewis, Roberts vital to dark Rodney plot Guyana Chronicle; November 14, 2014 article "Special Report on the Rodney Commission of Inquiry by Shaun Michael Samaroo, Detailing PNC State machinery violence against WPA at Rodney Commission" Guyana Chronicle; November 07, 2014, Special Report on the Rodney Commission of Inquiry by Shaun Michael Samaroo, At Rodney COI… Gopaul, Williams ‘brawl’ in dramatic face-off Guyana Chronicle; October 31, 2014, Special Report on the Rodney Commission of Inquiry by Shaun Michael Samaroo, Remote trigger detonated bomb that killed Rodney, Guyana Chronicle; August 07, 2014 Special Report on the Rodney Commission of Inquiry by Shaun Michael Samaroo, Commission Chairman slams Basil Williams’ propaganda idea Guyana Chronicle; August 06, 2014, Special Report on the Rodney Commission of Inquiry by Shaun Michael Samaroo, Police files reveal PPP sought peaceful resolution to PNC dictatorship, Guyana Chronicle; August 05, 2014, Special Report on the Rodney Commission of Inquiry by Shaun Michael Samaroo, Laurie Lewis wrote, mailed Teekah death threat, Guyana Chronicle; June 5, 2014 Shaun Michael Samaroo, Granger was Army Liaison to GPF in Gregory Smith probe : – Says former Army Chief-of-Staff McLean, Guyana Chronicle; June 03, 2014 Corbin delivered guns to House of Israel, Guyana Chronicle...

In the Sky’s Wild Noise (documentary about Walter Rodney)

Jamaica Hansard. 1968-1969. Proceedings of the House of Representatives of Jamaica October 17, 1968 (Rodney Affair 01, 02, 03) - "National Security of Jamaica"

Why We're Backing Burnham and the P.N.C. [at The] Guyana General Elections, Monday, December 15, 1980

Abrams v The Members of the Governing Body of Anglican Schools (1960), 2 WIR 187

Ramson –v- A.G. (1979) 28 WIR 191

Ramson –v- Barker (1982) 33 WIR 183

Copyright © 2015 Selwyn Pieters. All rights reserved. Please use citation if using or relying on my analysis.

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Selwyn A. Pieters, B.A. (Toronto), LL.B. (Osgoode), L.E.C. (U.W.I). Lawyer & Notary Public (Ontario). Attorney-at-Law (Republic of Guyana and Republic of Trinidad and Tobago).

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