By ANDRE BAGOO Wednesday, September 8 2010

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ALL PRESIDENT'S MEN: Members of the commission of inquiry into the 1990 attempted coup were yesterday issued their warrants by Acting President Timot...

CHAIRMAN of the Commission of Inquiry into the 1990 attempted coup, Sir David Simmons, yesterday said the inquiry, scheduled to begin public hearings on November 2, was not a “witch-hunt”.

At a media conference held at the Chaud Restaurant, Queen’s Park West, Port-of-Spain, Sir David also said the inquiry did not have any powers to interfere with a ruling of the Privy Council which effectively barred the State from prosecuting certain charges against the Jamaat al-Muslimeem, almost a decade ago.

“I wish to assure the public that this inquiry is not a witch-hunt,” Sir David said. “The Commission of Inquiry is embarking upon a fact-finding exercise.”

Sir David was speaking hours after the commissioners, their secretary and legal counsel were issued their warrants by Acting President Timothy Hamel-Smith at a 10 am ceremony at the administrative offices on the compound of President’s House.

Alluding to the status of the issue of a purported amnesty agreement once worked out with the Jamaat during the tense days of July 1990, Simmons said, “persons who were connected to this suit had their cases disposed of by the highest level of the Privy Council many years ago, and those decisions cannot be revised in any way by this commission.”

He said the inquiry had other aims.

“I hope...that at the end of our work we will bring some healing to the community and some closure for this matter which has been like an open work, ever since July 1990,” he said.

But while he ruled out revisiting issues dealt with by the Privy Council already, the chairman said the inquiry would make recommendations in line with its terms of reference on any evidence of crimes committed, including sophisticated crimes, such as conspiracy and other crimes like looting. Yesterday’s press conference was held upstairs a restaurant in a structure which once housed the headquarters of the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR), the party in power at the time of the attempted coup. Sir David yesterday indicated that this was not deliberate, and was a coincidence.

Sir David revealed that the inquiry will take place at the Winsure Building, Richmond Street, Port-of-Spain, the same building which hosted the Uff Commission of Inquiry. Proceedings will be aired on television. The counsel to the inquiry will be former independent senator Dana Seetahal, and attorney Darrell Allahar. Secretary to the inquiry is Laraine Lutchmedial.

The members of the inquiry include Barbadian jurist Sir Richard Cheltenham, US military expert Dr Haffizool Ali-Mohammed, and former independent senators Dr Eastlyn McKenzie and Diana Mahabir-Wyatt.

Sir David yesterday said the commissioners looked forward to Ali-Mohammed’s military expertise. Ali-Mohammed has worked with the US Army’s International Affairs Unit at the Pentagon, Washington, DC, since November 2006. A decorated officer who served in the special forces; he has also achieved top secret clearance and acted as a consultant to the US Senate and Office of the Under Secretary of Defence. He also served as an acting commander in the 18th Personnel and Administration Battalion (Airborne) during the Persian Gulf War. The inquiry chairman said he hopes to invite members of the public to submit their accounts of the July, 1990 incident to the inquiry in about a week’s time.

“We deserve the fullest possible participation by members of the public,” he said. “There will be an advertisement in the press as soon as the commission has been gazetted inviting members of the public to submit to us written memos signed and dated dealing with aspects of the terms of reference.”

The terms of reference include enquiry into:

1) the causes, nature, extent and impact of the attempted coup, including any contributing historical, social, economic, political and other factors;

2) the underlying purpose and extent of and the intention behind the plot that led to the attempted coup;

3) any criminal acts and omissions, including looting, which were committed in connection with the attempted coup.