MV Barima: Civil Society Demands Five Officials Be Sent on Leave

A coalition of Guyanese civil society organisations is demanding that Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, Public Utilities and Aviation Minister Deodat Indar and three senior maritime officials be placed on administrative leave pending the findings of the Commission of Inquiry into the sinking of the MV Barima.

The coalition made the demand at a press conference on Wednesday, arguing that accountability for the July 18 disaster must extend beyond the immediate circumstances of the sinking to those responsible for oversight of the country’s maritime transport system.

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The other officials named are Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) Director General Stephen Thomas, Transport and Harbours Department General Manager Yolanda Hughes Smith, and Transport and Harbours Department Board Chairperson Rosalinda Rasul.