The long-awaited Commission of Inquiry report into the 12-year-old Inagua/Lorequin drug incident is now in the hands of Governor General Dame Ivy Dumont after what has been described as a ﾓcareful consideration of the evidence and a unanimous decision of the most reasonable probability.ﾒ
The three-man Lorequin Commission made the presentation Tuesday morning at Government House. The 160-page document outlines 35 key recommendations the Commission hopes the government will pay some attention to.
The Commissioners did not recommend that any criminal charges be brought against anyone.
According to Commission President, retired Supreme Court Justice, Stanley Moore, based on the evidence, the Commission is satisfied with the end result of its work.
ﾓWe examined all of the hypotheses that arose out of the evidence that were drawn to our attention by counsel,ﾒ he said.
ﾓAnd we are satisfied by that process – and the exercise of reason ﾖ that we have reached conclusions that are completely supportable on the evidence as led before the Commission, and we venture to feel that the conclusions we have reached are reasonable. We also feel that when read, the report will not only hold up to the critical scrutiny of the press, but any other scrutiny.ﾒ
The highly publicized inquiry began its proceedings back in February to investigate the discovery of cocaine aboard the Lorequin vessel, the arrest of two Dominicans and the events surrounding the delivery of the drugs to the Defence Force base, Coral Harbour and then to the police drug storage room, Oakes Field.
The inquiry was launched after former U.S. Ambassador J. Richard Blankenship alleged that there were improprieties on the part of certain members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force during the arrest and removal of the drugs from the base.
During its 30 days of sittings, evidence pointed to the fact that three of 193 packages of cocaine went missing.
However, this claim was later knocked down after drug enforcement officials confirmed reports that there were 240 packages placed on the Lorequin during the operation between Bahamian and U.S. law enforcement agents.
Reports are that 50 packages of cocaine actually went missing.
Justice Moore has pointed out, however, that he cannot think of any incident during the inquiry that would create the need for criminal charges to be leveled.
ﾓPeople bring all sorts of actions. But at the moment I cannot think of anything that arises out of the report that would give rise to any action taking place in the court,ﾒ he said.
While acknowledging that the Commissionﾴs work proceeded smoothly, Commissioners Anglican Archbishop, Drexel Gomez and Former Deputy Police Commissioner Sir Albert Miller lamented the fact that the inquiry occurred more than a decade after the drug incident took place.
ﾓIt is a pity that this exercise took place 12 years after the events occurred,ﾒ Archbishop Gomez pointed out.
ﾓA Commission held much earlier would have been able to come to a greater determination in one or two instances. But without patting ourselves on the back, I believe that given the length of time and quality of evidence before us, the conclusions arrived at are imminently reasonable and I hope that the government will see fit to take note of the recommendations that were made and seek to implement most if not all of them.
Sir Albert added, ﾓIt was a joy that we were able to work as a team. We had no major disagreements.
ﾓBut one of the difficulties is that the Commission had not been appointed until some 12 years after the fact and I think some of the witnesses took advantage of that by saying that they canﾴt remember, some of them, we believe, honestly could not remember due to the lapse of time. But it has been an interesting experience that I am glad is now over.ﾒ
The Commission is hoping that its recommendations lead to an improvement in the quality of several aspects of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, which have faced scathing criticisms in recent months.
The report also acknowledges and applauds the work of the media in its opening statement as well as the inquiryﾴs support staff, headed by Commission Secretary and Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Attorney Generalﾴs Office, Leroy Sumner.
Once read by the Governor General, the report will be forwarded to the Cabinet Office and eventually laid on the table in the House of Assembly.
Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
