The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC, has defended the unprecedented decision to charge three Transport and Harbours Department employees with more than 70 counts of murder over the MV Barima disaster, maintaining that criminal proceedings need not await the findings of a Commission of Inquiry.

While the DPP’s position on the law may be correct, but it leaves unanswered the central question dominating public debate: What evidence supports charging a maritime disaster as murder?

The July 18 sinking of the 87-year-old state-owned ferry is the deadliest maritime disaster in Guyana’s history. Authorities have confirmed 73 deaths, while another 30 people remain missing and are presumed dead. One of the 76 survivors has since succumbed to injuries sustained in the tragedy, bringing the confirmed death toll to 74. Officials believe 179 people were aboard the vessel, although discrepancies in the passenger manifest continue to fuel uncertainty over the actual number of passengers.