CoI slams DPI report, declares lawyers’ remarks 'improper'

(Kaieteur News) – The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the capsizing of the M/V Barima has issued a stern clarification distancing itself from a report published by the Department of Public Information (DPI), emphasising that no decision has been reached regarding the vessel’s seaworthiness or safety certification requirement.

The document, dated October 29, 2026, and signed by CoI Chairman Justice Godfrey P. Smith SC on behalf of the Commission, addresses an online report released by DPI on October 22, 2026. That DPI publication claimed that “Government-owned and operated ferries, including the MV Barima, do not require certificates of seaworthiness to operate, according to counsel for the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the vessels sinking”. The state media report further attributed statements to attorneys Arudranauth Gosai and Teni Housty, alleging that under the Transport and Harbours Act and its 1996 regulations, government ferries have been exempt from such certification since independence.

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According to the Commission, the state media report triggered concern, prompting a flurry of emails and submissions inquiring whether the published remarks represented the official stance of the panel or meant that the M/V Barima had been cleared of certification and safety standards.